The Brooklyn Nets have not had an easy schedule during the first part of November. Between Nov. 4 and Nov. 9, the Nets faced the talented Memphis Grizzlies, reigning champion Boston Celtics, and undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers. Brooklyn came up short in every matchup except for the Memphis one, but regardless, Jordi Fernandez has the Nets highly motivated, and fans will be as well.
Brooklyn played hard against arguably the top two teams in the Eastern Conference on back-to-back nights, and that is an encouraging sign. Still, at the end of the day, Fernandez wants his team to come away with wins. He was pleased with the Nets' effort in their 105-100 loss to the Cavs but saw major areas the team needed to improve upon, and he started with himself.
The Cavs went on a 35-18 scoring run down the stretch of the game, and Fernandez took accountability for Brooklyn's loss of energy:
"It's my fault. I ran Dennis [Schroder] 12 minutes in the 4th. I didn't give him a break. That's how your execution goes down; that's how your defense goes down. I didn't give Cam breaks. At the end, we paid for it. So I have to be better," Fernandez said after the loss, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
It is unclear if Fernandez was referencing Cam Thomas or Cam Johnson not getting a sufficient break. Thomas played 36 minutes, while Johnson played 31 minutes, but regardless, the head coach knows he could be better at managing either or both of their minutes late in the game.
The Nets got gassed toward the end of the fourth quarter, but Fernandez was riding the team's hot hands, so he did what he thought was appropriate. He learned from the experience and provided Nets fans with an important development in the process.
Fernandez reassured Nets he cares about execution
The Nets seemingly have their eyes on the 2025 NBA Draft, given their decision to trade Mikal Bridges during the 2024 offseason and focus on developing their younger talent. Thus, many fans expected Brooklyn to "tank" during the 2024-25 season. However, Fernandez's early accountability shows that the Nets are not focused on getting the lowest record possible.
Rather, Brooklyn wants to execute, to do things the right way, and ultimately, they want to win. It would be easy for Fernandez to blow off an early-season blunder, but the fact that he is so hard on himself and his team shows that he cares, and that is something that should excite Nets fans.
Brooklyn has gotten off to a better start than expected, but there is still plenty of competition left. Regardless of what happens by the end of the year, Fernandez wants the Nets to play with the best habits possible.