Jordi Fernandez reveals silver lining of Nets' extended struggles

01/27/2025 11:06 AM

Jordi Fernandez knew a rebuild was in the cards when he accepted the Brooklyn Nets head-coaching job last spring. After a surprise start to the season, the losses are piling up as the team angles for a top draft pick. Despite extended absences to Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons — the team’s top four ball-handlers — the Nets have competed during a recent skid.

Three of Brooklyn’s last five losses, all of which have come against playoff teams, have been by single digits. Fernandez has been pleased with his team’s fight.

“I think what we’re trying to do is build winning habits, and when you’re doing something that you’re not used to doing, you have to think about it because you’re not used to it,” the head coach said. “But then when you all of a sudden do things consistently every day, you don’t even have to think about it. Right now, I think we’re building this identity, and these winnings habits are gonna be part of who we are in the future, and if it’s not successful in the way we play, it’s my fault.

“But I believe in these guys. These guys do it every day, and right now, even though we don’t see those Ws in the standings, these are wins for me in a lot of ways because I believe we’re gonna come back, we’re gonna work, we’re gonna respond, and we’re gonna get what we need. So that’s a plan. That’s my part of, like we all have a job here and that’s how I see it. So like I said before, playing hard is extremely important. Working hard. It’s not just you show up and you play hard. You have to play hard and you have to have purpose and discipline, and I think our guys had it.”

Jordi Fernandez was happy with the Nets' fight tonight:

"Even though we don't see those Ws in the standings, these are wins for me in a lot of ways because I believe we're gonna come back, we're gonna work, we're gonna respond, and we're gonna get where we need." pic.twitter.com/jCFCqA88Sz

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 26, 2025

Building winning habits during a tanking season is easier said than done.

Jordi Fernandez attempting to build winning habits with rebuilding Nets

Fernandez received widespread praise after Brooklyn’s 9-11 start. However, the team course-corrected its tank by trading veterans Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith.

The Nets have taken an ultra-cautious approach with injuries during a 2-14 stretch that has plummeted them to the bottom of the standings. Entering Monday’s Sacramento Kings matchup, Brooklyn sits two games behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the third-best draft lottery odds. Despite this, the team’s players said Fernandez’s messages are as strong as ever.

“It’s the fight, understanding that no game is done until it’s over,” Jalen Wilson said. “Just continuing to fight, play the right way, understand that we’re building and that we’re trying to get better every single night. As long as we have that mindset to get better and to compete every single night. Obviously, you’re not going to go undefeated, but you want to win every game, and when you don’t, you just have to rely on learning from what you did wrong. Learn from our mistakes and apply them to the next game.”

Wilson is one of 11 Nets players age 24 or younger. With Schroder and Finney-Smith traded and Johnson, Russell and Simmons missing extended stretches due to injuries, rotations filled with minimum and two-way players have become commonplace. Despite this, Brooklyn’s new-look coaching staff is fighting to build a foundation during year one of a rebuild.

“It’s how we play. So no matter who [Jordi] puts out there, [how we play] is something we can control,” Russell said. “He expects us to play at a high standard, a standard he holds us accountable to every day. I don’t think we lose confidence in anything as a group [through this].”

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