Jordi Fernandez calls out several Nets after blowout loss to 76ers

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Jordi Fernandez may be entering his first season as an NBA head coach, but he has no problem calling it like he sees it. Following the Brooklyn Nets’ 117-95 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, Fernandez called out where he felt individual players, whether younger players or veterans, came up short.

With Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe and Ben Simmons sidelined, second-year big man Noah Clowney faced a difficult test against 76ers center Andre Drummond. While Clowney gave up over 50 pounds in the matchup, his head coach wasn’t pleased with his fight.

"I think he did not fight hard enough,” Fernandez said. “Obviously, it is a great learning experience for everybody. There are technicalities, obviously, like how you front somebody, how you push him out. It's definitely a challenge. But I would have liked to see a better fight.”

"And it's not just Noah, it's everybody else. I can go down the line with Keon [Johnson], Ziaire [Williams], everybody, the starters. At some point, this is not about you. This is about us. And if we don't play hard as a team, we're just not good enough [to win]."

Jordi Fernandez on how he thought Noah Clowney fared against Andre Drummond:

"I thought he didn't fight hard enough… It's definitely a challenge, but I would have liked to see a better fight. And it's not just Noah, it's everyone… If we don't play hard as a team we're just… pic.twitter.com/70XQGXQnzq

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) October 17, 2024

Clowney is among the Nets’ promising young prospects after they selected him 21st in the 2023 draft. He projects as a power forward, but Fernandez and general manager Sean Marks have said they will also use him at center.

Jordi Fernandez’s criticism draws honest response from Nets

The Alabama product finished the game with 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 5-of-8 shooting. However, he struggled to anchor Brooklyn’s defense, frequently getting pushed off his spot as Philadelphia tallied 48 points in the paint.

While the 20-year-old (6-foot-9, 230 lbs) added muscle this offseason, he has a ways to go before he can match the physicality of the league’s top centers. He recognized this when asked about his head coach’s criticism.

"The same thing Jordi tells y'all is what he's gonna tell us,” Clowney said. “You gotta grow from every game. You can take it one of two ways… At this level, you're either gonna get better and learn from it or you're gonna go the other way."

In addition to their soft interior defense, the Nets were sloppy offensively. They turned the ball over 20 times, leading to a 28-11 fastbreak points advantage for Philadelphia.

With Ben Simmons sidelined, Fernandez held veteran point guard Dennis Schdoer responsible for setting a lackadaisical tone.

“Obviously, we went from two point guards to one. That showed in how we took care of the ball,” the coach said. “But the reality is our true point guard Dennis had five turnovers… We cannot afford him to play like that, because he’s a really, really good playmaker, he’s a floor general, he does the right things. So he has to be better.”

“Adding another point guard will help us, but the reality is 20 turnovers for 31 points is unacceptable. When turnovers happen, you've still gotta keep playing. You've still got to get stops. And obviously in that second half, I feel like our team – and I haven't watched the game – but I feel like we didn’t play as hard as we could, like we’ve done the first two games. And that’s what I told the guys, is we have higher standards on how we play and how we compete. That’s not the performance we want to have.”

Jordi Fernandez on the Nets' 20 turnovers tonight:

"The reality is our true point guard Dennis Schroeder had five turnovers. So obviously we cannot afford for him to play like this." pic.twitter.com/7dyxqZng49

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) October 17, 2024

Fernandez isn’t stepping into an optimal situation for his first head-coaching gig. The Nets are expected to be among the NBA’s worst teams as they tank in year one of a rebuild. While outside expectations are historically low, Fernandez’s remain high as he attempts to cultivate winning habits.

The Nets will wrap up the preseason Friday vs. the Toronto Raptors. Their first real test will come when they open the regular season on Oct. 23 against the Atlanta Hawks.

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