The Nets decided to hire Lionel Hollins to replace Jason Kidd this summer to instill a defensive backbone and add some grit and toughness to a roster thought by many to lack it.

If you listen to his former players in Memphis, they’ll tell you he is the man to do just that.

Hollins faced the Grizzlies for the first time since the franchise decided not to renew his contract after four-plus seasons, culminated in 2013 by taking Memphis to its only trip to the Western Conference Finals in team history.

After the Grizzlies handed their former coach and the Nets a 103-92 loss Wednesday night, Hollins admitted not much had changed about his old team.

“They have some extra players than what we had,” he said, “[but] they’re playing the same way, and doing the same things.

“We led the league in points in the paint when I was there, we led the league in forcing turnovers and points off of those turnovers. It’s the same team.”

Before the game, Hollins’ former players admitted it would be hard to get used to seeing him working on the opposite sideline.

“It’ll be weird,” Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said with a smile. “It’ll be interesting, because we go back so far and I know his competitive nature and he knows mine, and hopefully I can show him what I’ve learned from him.”

There were plenty of familiar faces for Hollins to see, given that four of Memphis’ starters — Conley, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol — were there for the vast majority of his tenure, and current Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger served as an assistant under Hollins.

So it came as no surprise that before the game several players and coaches went over to say hello to Hollins, with everyone involved admitting they had stayed in touch after the franchise decided to move on.

“We were together for a long time,” Hollins said. “Those guys were puppies, and now they’re men. It’s good to see them, but it’s not good to compete against them when they’re firing on all cylinders like they were [tonight].”

Before the game, his former players were in a reflective mood about Hollins, who led Memphis to an improved winning percentage in each of his four-plus years there.

“He did a lot [for me],” Gasol said. “But first he showed me that in the NBA it’s a serious thing and a serious business.

“[He] changed a lot of things in the organization, and he made us bond together. He made us work from Day 1. We believed in each other. He preached a lot and he’s somebody that means a lot to me and we stayed in touch after that because that was the kind of impact he’s had on me.”

Allen, in particular, praised Hollins for helping him be named to an All-Defensive team each of their four seasons together.

“All I can remember [from] me being under him is he enhanced my level of play,” Allen said. “I thought he brought the best out of me.

“He kind of gives you that tough love as a coach. He’s always on you, he’s hard on you, and he always brings the best out of you. I appreciate him just for that.”

Conley had a similar story, as Hollins gave him the keys to the franchise as a young point guard, choosing him to start over Kyle Lowry — a move Conley said helped turn him into the player he is today.

“Man, it meant a lot that he had that trust in me at such a young age,” Conley said. “He was so honest with me.
“He said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna give you a chance, and if you’re not good enough you’re not going to play.’ That’s how he is. I was like, ‘Man, I don’t want to let him down. I don’t want to make him look bad for having put me in and played me.’ We built that relationship from that.”

But while all of the players praised Hollins, they made sure they took care of business and handed the Nets a seventh consecutive loss.

“It’s fun,” Gasol said of facing Hollins. “[He’s] somebody we had, still have a great relationship with, somebody that meant a lot to us inside and outside the court.

“It’s going to be fun to beat him.”