Kenny Atkinson will dive into his first head coaching job with the Nets as soon as the Hawks season concludes, but he’ll have at least one former head coach on his bench with him.
Jacque Vaughn will be tapped as Atkinson’s lead assistant, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
After a 12-year playing career that saw stints with the Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, and San Antonio Spurs, Vaughn retired in 2009 and moved to the bench with the Spurs as an assistant from 2010-2012 before taking a head coaching job with the Magic.
After two-plus seasons in Orlando, Vaughn went back to the Spurs organization and worked as a pro scout — under new Nets general manager Sean Marks.
The Nets now have five men under the age of 50 in leadership roles: Atkinson (48), Vaughn (41), Marks (40), assistant general manager Trajan Langdon (39), and D-League head coach Ronald Nored (26). All five were former players, and all but Atkinson and Nored played in the NBA.
