The Brooklyn Nets are playing their first home game of the 2024-25 season against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening. It will be the first official Nets home game since April of 2024. Many changes have been made since the last time the Nets played at Barclay's Center, and head coach Jordi Fernandez is one of those changes.
The Nets hired Fernandez in late April after the team parted ways with former head coach Jacque Vaughn in February. Fernandez has valuable coaching experiences stemming from his time as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings, coach of the Canadian Senior Men's National Basketball Team, and an assistant with the Denver Nuggets.
Fernandez is excited to be in the borough, and he cannot wait to coach the Nets in their home debut against the Bucks on Sunday.
"Very excited," Fernandez said in regards to the Nets' first home game, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. "My wife's here, my kids are here. My parents are here. My mother-in-law and her husband are here. It doesn't get better than this...And it's always good to play at home. That extra energy that you have."
Having a building full of fans who support the Nets should surely help Fernandez and his team to victory. This will be an excellent opportunity for Fernandez to further prove himself and help Brooklyn snap their early two-game losing streak. But it will not be easy.
Nets have their hands full against Bucks
Taking down a team full of veterans who are only three years removed from their last NBA championship poses a significant challenge. The Bucks have two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo at their disposal. Hopefully, the combination of Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton can help keep Antetokounmpo at bay. Yet, he is not the only one Brooklyn has to worry about.
Milwaukee attempted to push themselves ahead by trading for All-NBA caliber point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in October of 2023. Lillard's arrival has not resulted in any significant improvement for the Bucks, but that could change in 2024-25.
Lillard and Antetokounmpo have Milwaukee at 1-1 going into the Barclay's Center on Sunday. They are at a slight disadvantage with Khris Middleton out of the lineup, but there is no doubt they will want to steal a win and build momentum. The Nets are equally as hungry if not more.
Fans can expect Ben Simmons to have a strong day, given his post-Magic game accountability and Jordi Fernandez's request for him to be more assertive on offense. His defense will be just as important. But Simmons and the rest of Brooklyn's frontcourt defenders need to resist Milwaukee without fouling. Simmons racked up his first four fouls against Orlando before the fourth quarter started.
No matter what happens, the Nets will be sure to give their best effort in front their home crowd.