NBA: 3 head coaches facing the most pressure to deliver big in 2021-22

2. Steve Nash, Brooklyn Nets

The combination of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving’s ego and attitude, I’m sure is like a tsunami mixed with a hurricane to try and manage as a head coach. And for Steve Nash, that is very tough. Especially since he took this job before the blockbuster trade to bring James Harden to Brooklyn. I think Nash knew the job would be tough but I don’t think he saw anything like this happening, especially mid-season.

With all that said, I find it hard to not envy Nash’s position. Yes, Kyrie does some whacky stuff that I’m sure is very frustrating and distracting to a locker room. Yes, Durant has his own ego that he likes to dust off and take for a spin every now and again, not to mention his previous injury history. And yes, Harden is a difficult guy to get used to playing with, and he’s had his fair share of teammate disputes and is just an overall difficult guy sometimes. I get all of that. But if you asked any other coach in the league today to switch rosters, they would do it in a heartbeat. If you asked Luke Walton, “Hey Luke, would you rather have the Kings roster or Nets roster?” What do you think he would say?

And for that reason, it’s a little tough to say that Nash doesn’t have an inviable position in Brooklyn. When your roster has three different hall of fame players all seemingly in their prime with two borderline hall of famers in the ladder part of their career in LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin coming off the bench, does the coach really have it that tough?

Now here’s why I envy the Lakers’ job more than the Nets’ job, and why I’d rather be Frank Vogel than Steve Nash. The Lakers, as I eluded to earlier, have their own assortment of hall of fame divas on their roster. But so do the Nets, and the Nets haven’t won anything together yet. We know about Durant in Golden State, we know about Kyrie in Cleveland, but Harden, their primary ball-handler, and their leader according to other Nets players, is the king of the playoff flameout.

Brooklyn had their excuse for the flameout last season, injuries plaguing their entire season. No Kyrie in playoff games, Harden playing on one leg, Durant having to carry the team on his shoulders. They had that excuse in place, and to be fair, the injuries were a legitimate reason they were eliminated in the second round. This year, that excuse isn’t going to work again. And all everyone is talking about is how Brooklyn is going to win the championship, including myself. The pressure of being the most talented team, and not getting it done two years in a row will wear you out. If the Nets don’t win the championship, Nash will age as if he is entering his second term in Washington.

But at the end of the day, would you rather coach the Nets or the Pistons? It can’t be too bad to coach a team littered with hall of famers, right?