When the Nets passed over Jacque Vaughn to be their head coach in 2020, he just kept his head down and kept working. When they chased suspended Ime Udoka instead of him earlier this season — over the protests of several female staffers — he stayed focused.

Vaughn — who was named interim head coach on Nov. 1, and had that tag removed a week later — showed the single-minded determination and professionalism that he has demanded from his players, and is instilling in his team. And it’s a big part of why Brooklyn handed him a well-earned contract extension on Tuesday.

Even if it may have been later than it should’ve been.

“I just kept doing my job,” Vaughn said with a shrug on Wednesday. “And it’s a great lesson for my kids. I think at the end of the day, when I talk to them about it — good news, bad news — you just continue to do your job and you persevere and you love to grind, and they know that’s a part of me.