Jacque Vaughn | Post-Game Press Conference | San Antonio Spurs | 2.10.2024

Jacque Vaughn | Post-Game Press Conference | San Antonio Spurs | 2.10.2024

Jack overall with this one there are so many different areas that you guys were able to get comfortable with in that offensive side what’s it out to you about what your group was able to do tonight well I think I look at the uh 31

Assists uh that part of it is being able to get in the right windows for each other uh whether that was in Fast Break points and getting out in transition starting with stops and then our ability just to share the basketball and and pull for one another so pretty

Impressive tonight during pregame you mentioned that you’re going to ease the new guys in when it comes to Dennis shuder you can’t make a perfect Nets debut what did you like about his ability to do so much and in the night with a double double yeah great for our

Crowd to ease him into it you know saying his name that’s pretty cool uh I I think overall you show he was able to show just his ability to be a point guard on the floor whether that was um you know getting plays from me on the Fly whether that was organizing and

Getting our group into good sets um and just the overall feel of understanding the flow of the game what’s needed uh you you saw his ability to have a toughness about him whether that was Garden wimy or whether that was Garden other perimeter guys and just a uh an IQ

Piece that’s going to be uh very important for our group going forward when you consider the uh the lack of real prep time that he had not a ton of time for you for him to even be on the floor yesterday whatever he was doing are you did he exceed even your

Expectations what you could have reasonably expected in a debut he’s a professional and so Brian you know you’ve seen him playing you know high stakes games and uh the ability for him to uh step up in those situation it’s proven and uh we need that with our group whether it’s the conversation in

The huddles conversation at halftime it gives us a chance to um you know really be in a position to explain things which is good for our group for everyone to hear it and and feel it and see it again um and how we want to play uh but he’s

You know he’s won games and played in high level games and so uh for him to be out here on the floor uh and Lead our group tonight uh pretty impressive I don’t know if I had a standard for him tonight what it was going to look like

I’m glad it was successful in a win and then that he played well also Jack with Dennis’s ability just to you know play play more minutes I guess how how much of a luxury is I guess with as Ben is working his way back in that

You can turn to Dennis it can kind of do some of the similar things like get into the paint quickly find guys and things of that nature yeah you know I I don’t look at things traditional all the time and uh I think that first sub first sub

Was Jay will for uh for doe and then we came with Dennis and Dennis at the same time and so that versatility to be able to have multiple ball handlers on the floor but not feel small because those dudes can guard and guard different positions so I think that gives me a

Little bit of flexibility going forward and how the rotations were going to be and that was without using Lonnie in the first half uh so I I think as we get whole we’ll be able to maximize groups out there on the floor and really have five dudes out on the floor who fit

Together at all times and compliment each other uh and shudder just adds to that uh being able to put different lineups out there on the floor we haven’t seen him with Ben I kind of substituted use Ben as the substitute for him tonight and uh we’ll see what

That looks like going for it but it gives us a lot of flexibility Jack what was your reaction to the play when there was4 seconds left in that third quarter and Dennis’s ability to get that pass off to Nick claxon yeah you know what you know me

There so many things that go on that uh in the course of the game and as we were prepping for tonight’s game uh Royce was always the inbounder for us and whether that was the end of the game whether it was after a timeout late game he was I

Always count on him to to to inbound the basketball and so we were talking about tonight Who’s going to be our inbounder and we said Dennis can inbound and uh because at the end of the games he can shoot free throws if they throw back to

Him he can has great vision as a point guard and for them to execute that at the end of a quarter is huge those are momentum plays Jay will set a great screen the read by Nick knowing that we only had point four on the clock and for

Dennis now to solidify that he’s going to be our rebounder so now we got evidence he will be our rebounder and inbounder jock ju just curious how do you plan on differentiating the uh dentistes at practice right now it’s June I’m still trying to come up with it

It’s June for Dennis Smith Jr but I’m still screwing it up and it’s Dennis and I even say shrewder sometimes so I I’m I’m struggling already I did the other day be you know before I came in here and I’ll continue to do it for sure have a good night guys

Jacque Vaughn spoke to the media following the Nets vs. Spurs on February 10, 2024