Following a 102-101 road loss to the Orlando Magic on Dec. 29, Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez expressed pure embarrassment as Brooklyn continues to struggle through reshaping the entire structure of its franchise.
“It hurts me because I just don’t ever want my team to look like this,” Fernandez admitted.
What once was a 21-point Nets lead quickly became an unforgiving fourth-quarter meltdown as Brooklyn failed to sink a single field goal for the final 7:16 of regulation, outscored 34-18 in the frame as a whole. Even still, Brooklyn maintained a 91.1 percent chance of winning with a six-point edge and 1:32 remaining until Orlando closed on a 9-2 run during that span, according to ESPN.
“We just needed one more grown-up to bring the guys together, calm everybody down, execute on the defensive end and win the game,” Fernandez said. “It didn't happen. I put that on all the guys on our team that are over 23 years old. Those are our grown-ups. If you cannot do that, then it’s just going to be tough.”
The rookie head coach didn’t waste any time addressing his team’s lack of desire to win games after the Magic managed to pull off the fourth-largest comeback win in the NBA this season. Fernandez acknowledged the rebuilding process, as well as the opportunity to build something special for the future, but not without highlighting core values overlooked along the way.
“I’ll miss toughness, leadership, day-to-day happiness and being about the right things,” Fernandez commented regarding the Dorian Finney-Smith trade. “It’s just very simple that if we would’ve had that maturity and that toughness, we close this game.”
Jordi Fernández addressed the media on consistency, focus issues in 4th quarter vs. Orlando.#NETSonYES pic.twitter.com/wYQAmlpVBi
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) December 29, 2024
Other notable quotes
Fernandez on how trade talks impact balance and focus: “It’s part of the business. Also, if you keep telling yourself this is part of the business, emotionally it’s not that easy. It’s not that easy for anybody – for the players, for the coaches, for the staff. They get treatment every day; they lift. Relationships are important, and emotionally it’s not easy. Everybody handles it differently, but we’re here to support our guys. Again, there are opportunities for somebody else. That’s the bright side.”
Fernandez on Jalen Wilson scoring 13 points in 4Q v. ORL: “Very proud of J-Wil. He really saved us to have a chance to win. But again, we just needed defense to win that game. We had zero. Zero effort. Zero focus. If you don’t play defense in the fourth quarter in the NBA, you are not going to win games. We want to give ourselves a chance to win every game.”
Fernandez on recent trade acquisitions: “Obviously, you guys know the two players that we’ll be getting. We’re excited. Excited to work with them, develop them, build those relationships and have them up to speed soon. Whenever they get here, whenever the plans are set, we’ll let you guys know."