The Brooklyn Nets shocked the basketball world when it was announced that they have hired Hall-of-Famer and retired two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash as their new coach. It came just a little over a week after being eliminated from the playoffs.

Many were anticipating it to be one of the top free agent coaches or possibly a rising assistant – maybe even a legendary maestro like Gregg Popovich. Nevertheless, whether you agree with the move or not, we can at least say that it’s a very, very interesting addition.

Let’s now get into some thoughts and takeaways about this sudden hiring:

Veteran PG, rookie head coach

Nash is an added name to the long list of former NBA point guards that have been hired as a rookie head coach in the league – 11th since 1999 and seventh since 2012. He joins Doc Rivers, Nate McMillan, Isiah Thomas, Avery Johnson, Jeff Hornacek, Earl Watson, Derek Fisher, Jason Kidd, Steve Kerr, and the guy he took the spot over, Jacque Vaughn (Vaughn is staying with the Nets and will be the league’s highest paid assistant).

Of course, the question now is, which spectrum will he fall into? The Kerr and Rivers side, which has countless wins and four combined championships, or the Watson and Vaughn side, which compiles a winning percentage of 28.7%?

Splash move

It might be another good ‘ol splash move, one that fits and usually needed in a big, marketable city like Brooklyn – as opposed to picking a candidate with a more established resume. The Nets management are going all in with it too considering they already have a pair of superstar players in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Steve Nash, with all of his accolades and being a beloved player for years and years, will bolster the buzz around the franchise even further.

Influenced by GM Sean Marks and Kevin Durant?

As surprising and big of a gamble it is, the hire isn’t completely random as two of the team’s most influential guys have had a solid working relationship with the newly-minted head coach.

Nets general manager Sean Marks was teammates with Nash while with the Phoenix Suns from 2006 to 2008, and it was during the former MVP’s glory days and Suns were among the top teams in the league.

Durant, meanwhile, worked together with this new coach when they were with the Golden State Warriors. Nash has been a consultant with the Dubs over last five years, and KD was with the team from 2016 to 2019.

The ‘7 Seconds or Less’ Offense

Nash became a HOFer because of his success in running the ‘7 Seconds or Less Offense,’ thanks in good part to his Suns head coach at that time, Mike D’Antoni.

It will be interesting to see if it can work with the current Nets’ core. They can play fast with all the young, playmaking, sharpshooting guys in there, like Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, and Joe Harris. Then, the roster also boasts two high-octane scorers in Durant and Irving, easily among the five best and most skilled scorers in the game today.

Can he get along with Kyrie Irving?

This may be the biggest question of them all. While there’s ‘insurance’ since Irving and Durant are basically BFFs right now, there’s also a dark cloud about Irving that just wouldn’t get away: Outside of Tyronn Lue and maybe David Blatt, Kyrie has had problems with just about every coach he’s been with.

The concern is a possible clash of styles. Nash is a pure, pass-first point guard that will want his floor general to distribute the ball, while Irving, despite having playmaking abilities, is ultimately a ‘points guard’ that will look to score or attack the basket more than anything.