Nets’ rebuild forcing Jordi Fernandez to change…
Taking on the Nets in a rebuild 12 months is a tall job for anybody.
Jordi Fernandez knew that stepping into. He was conscious he can be requested to construct a younger group of gamers, develop them, and endure a season of musical chairs because the franchise tries to make strikes for the long run.
It’s a makeover season the Badalona, Spain, native had not skilled within the NBA, and it’s one which pressured him to handle his frustrations by redefining successful to imply more than what the staff’s file displays.
Jordi Fernandez reacts during the Nets-Suns recreation on Jan. 22, 2025. AP
“Obviously, as a competitor, I’m not going to react well to a loss,” Fernandez mentioned after the observe Friday. “But, like I said before, seeing these guys getting better, seeing these guys fighting all the way until the end, those are wins for us. And, like I said before, winning starts now. We’re not waiting to win. It’s just that what winning means for you is different and we don’t need to share that, but we feel like we’re winning a lot of things right now.”
Before arriving in Brooklyn, Fernandez was an assistant coach for the Nuggets (2016-22) and the Kings (2022-24), and the mixed eight years all yielded successful seasons — 5 of which included playoff appearances.
In Denver, he helped develop a staff that appeared in a single Western Conference Final and two semifinals prior to the staff taking home the championship within the 2022-23 season with out him.
With the Kings, he had a 94-70 file over two seasons with one first-round playoff look.
He was half of groups that went 375-220 earlier than his first head teaching gig.
Now, his staff (14-31) has misplaced 18 of its final 22 video games as half of a mission to tank for a likelihood at a high draft decide.
Jordi Fernandez reacts during the Nets-Thunder recreation on Jan. 19, 2025. AP
“The reality is, you don’t know until you know,” Fernandez of what he has taken away from the expertise. “You have a plan. You’re going to go through the process and now all of a sudden you’re in it. You can expect things, but reality is always going to hit you a different way. As long as you come back the next day and you’re positive, get better. … And again, we cannot take NBA games for granted and everything we’ll do is to go out there and fight at the highest level we can.”
Fernandez has adjusted to deal with establishing “winning habits” in his gamers, and seeing their progress in shopping for in on these pointers is the place the coach begins to rely his wins.
His gamers are conscious of this and his competitiveness.
Ziaire Williams famous that if Fernandez’s requirements of being “physical” and “the hardest working team out there” aren’t met, he can count on a more durable observe the following day.
Jalen Wilson mentioned Fernandez “for sure hates losing, like us all.”
“Losing a game is never fun but we have a pretty defined plan in place and the process that we’re going through,” the pinnacle coach mentioned. “Obviously, winning games is important, too. We’re going out there to try to win every game and we all understand that. For me, the most important thing is [general manager] Sean’s [Marks] support and knowing that the communication is great and we’re all on the same page. Obviously, my wife has to deal with me every day and my kids, but that’s been good.”
Jordi Fernandez reacts during the Nets-Blazers recreation on Jan. 14, 2025. Getty Images
Trades and the losses have piled up to disrupt the Nets’ stream, however in addition they have endured a number of accidents all through the season and have 4 typical starters on the in depth health invoice.
Fernandez led the Nets to a shocking scorching begin and has continued to keep a constructive outlook for a staff with an unsure current and future.
“You just see how much he does want to win and when we do, we’re excited and we learn from our wins and when we lose, we learn from our losses and how we lost,” Wilson mentioned. “No matter if it’s a one-point loss or a 20-point loss, we are always trying to figure out how to get better. He’s the perfect guy for that to happen.”
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