Dallas Mavericks Assistant Coach Igor Kokoskov Expected To Join Brooklyn Nets

Deep playoff runs usually come with costs. The Dallas Mavericks are experiencing one now after an unlikely trip to the Western Conference Finals.

Assistant coach Igor Kokoskov is expected to pack his bags and depart for the Brooklyn Nets, Marc Stein reports. There, he will serve on Steve Nash’s staff.

Kokoskov was the man behind the Mavericks’ offense in his first year with the team. His schemes, centered on the brilliance of Luka Doncic, led Dallas to a 112.5 offensive rating during the regular season and a 113.9 mark in the playoffs.

“For the coaching staff, we’ve spent a lot of time in meetings. So, that chemistry is going well,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said of his staff early in the season. “I think Igor [Kokoskov] is doing great play calls offensively, and then Sean [Sweeney] is doing a great job on the defensive end. And so, everybody is doing their part.”

The offense was not the only reason Kidd brought in Kokoskov to join his fledgling coaching staff. He also did so because of his relationship with Doncic.

Kokoskov coached the Slovenian national team, of which Doncic was a member, from 2016 to 2017. Slovenia won the gold medal at EuroBasket 2017. Another member from that championship team, Goran Dragic, played for the Nets last season. Dragic is now an unrestricted free agent.

In Brooklyn, Kokoskov will find familiar faces. He and Nash know each other from their time with the Phoenix Suns during the heyday of Mike D’Antoni’s “seven seconds or less.” Kokoskov was an assistant there from 2008 through 2013.

Nash is not the only member of the Nets he has a relationship with. Kokoskov was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers coaching staff during the 2013-14 season at the same time Kyrie Irving was there.

While Kokoskov is set for multiple reunions in Brooklyn, his departure leaves a hole in Dallas. This will be the first time that Kidd will have to fill a vacancy due to a departing coach since assuming the top coaching spot with the Mavericks.