A surprised Jacque Vaughn takes on big challenge as Nets interim head coach

There’s a new point guard running the Nets bench. Jacque Vaughn on Saturday replaced Kenny Atkinson as head coach of the Nets in a move Vaughn said came out of the blue. In fact, Vaughn said the call informing him of the decision came from Atkinson himself.

General manager Sean Marks said the change resulted from ongoing discussions between Atkinson and himself, but when Vaughn was asked if he had any inkling a change was in the offing, he said, “I did not. I was just as surprised when Kenny called me this morning than ever before. This completely caught me off guard.”

Vaughn, a star point guard at Kansas and a 12-year NBA veteran who played two seasons for the Nets, had been by Atkinson’s side since the Northport native and former Richmond point guard was hired to coach the Nets in 2016. He previously was head coach of the Orlando Magic for two-plus seasons from 2012-15, compiling a 58-158 record.

Vaughn said Marks also called him and the two of them addressed the team before Saturday’s walk-through ahead of their game against the Bulls Sunday afternoon at Barclays Center. “It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind preparing for the game, talking to the players, talking to the staff,” said Vaughn, who met with every player after practice.

The Nets are 28-34 and in seventh-place in the Eastern Conference with a good shot at the playoffs. “It’s a great challenge ahead of us, 20 games to make some noise and get the most out of this team and this year,” Vaughn said.

In the end, it’s fair to wonder if the most influential point guard in the organization is Kyrie Irving, who signed a four-year maximum-salary deal worth $141 million last summer and wound up playing only 20 games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery last week. Vaughn was Irving’s position coach, and he emphasized the importance of having strong relationships with a team’s top stars.

Describing his relationship with Irving, Vaughn said, “I talked to him today. Great conversation. You know we had that immediate connection of being point guards, and I was assigned to working with him before the game, practice days, and so being able to form a relationship . . . it’s beneficial.”

Asked if he felt his relationship with Irving led to his selection as head coach, Vaughn said, “I won’t speak to that part of it. What I will say is that I’ve always tried to put myself in a position that any player can come to me as an assistant coach. Whether that was talking about on-the-court stuff or off-the-court stuff, guys need that. I think it’s a skill to be someone who can listen. It’s a tough skill to truly listen, and I’ve tried to do that through my career.”

Three Nets players who spent the past four seasons with Atkinson and were developed by him — Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie — all expressed surprise at the coaching change and their affection and respect for Atkinson. Dinwiddie called Atkinson “my guy” and said they communicated by text Saturday morning and he thanked the coach for giving him a chance.

LeVert said, “Obviously, it’s tough. Me and Kenny were extremely close . . . It hurts. This part of the business sucks, but it is what it is.”

Harris, who led the NBA in three-point shooting percentage last season after being rescued from the G League by Atkinson said he was “shocked, surprised. For the guys that have been here for the last few years with him, you’re upset. You learned a lot. You’re just grateful for the time, the opportunity we had with him. We all loved playing for Kenny, a valuable experience.”

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.