The rebuilding Brooklyn Nets have lost their first two games of the 2024-25 NBA season. However, there seems to be new energy from the team that hasn’t been seen in a long time.
The Brooklyn Nets Have a New Energy With Jordi Fernandez
The Nets are one of eight teams that started the season with a new head coach. The other teams are the Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, and Washington Wizards.
Brooklyn’s Jordi Fernández is one of four of the eight new coaches who are first-time head coaches in the NBA. Fernández is also the first Spanish-born head coach in the NBA.
Coaching History
In their history, the Nets have had 24 head coaches. Since 2020, the team has had four coaching changes since moving on from Kenny Atkinson. Brooklyn fired him and hired NBA legend Steve Nash, who had no coaching experience.
Nash’s tenure was a disaster. The team finished with a 94-67 record over three seasons. During 2020-21, Nash failed to lead the Nets with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Boston Celtics swept Brooklyn in the first round of the 2021-22 playoffs. Nash struggled with players not listening to his plays, leading to his midseason firing in his third season.
Interim head coach Jacque Vaughn took over Nash’s job. The team extended Vaughn’s contract after the 2022-23 season but fired him after two years. Interim head coach Kevin Ollie then took over but did not return after the 2023-24 season. The Nets subsequently hired Fernández as their new head coach.
Rebuilding the Team
Fernández is tasked with leading a team that is expected to have one of the worst records this season. Brooklyn’s roster includes young players and veterans who could be traded at the next deadline.
Fernández must balance team chemistry, veterans’ expectations, developing young talent, adjusting the roster, and ensuring discipline. He also constantly has to answer questions about Ben Simmons, who spent most of his time with the Nets on the bench due to injuries. However, Fernández has spoken highly of Simmons’ efforts to improve.
Since training camp, Fernández has emphasized building a family-like atmosphere with strong relationships through basketball and creating a strong unit.
“I want everybody to have my back. That support is important to build that trust and loyalty between the head coach and the assistants, and then the players can feel it. There’s no one way to do things in this life. There’s a lot of ways. But when you decide to go one way and everybody pushes in the same direction, good things happen. That’s the way that I want to see it right at this second,” Fernández said.
Praise Despite Losses
The Nets are still looking for a win. After their 120-116 loss in their season opener to the Atlanta Hawks, Fernández received praise for his coaching despite the loss. He has made it clear that the team will show grit and play physically, which is what they demonstrated against the Hawks.
The coach continued his praise for his team despite them being winless. In their 116-101 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday evening, the Nets’ turnovers contributed to their loss.
“We’ve just got to shoot more, We’ve got to trade some of those turnovers for threes, and I think we’ll be okay. It’s going well. We’ve worked very well. So, we’ve just got to move on to the next one,” Fernandez said after the game.
Their next chance for a win is in their home opener game at the Barclays Center against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.