The Brooklyn Nets underwent a major change midway through the 2023-24 season when they parted ways with former head coach Jacque Vaughn. Vaughn had been with the Nets since 2016 as an assistant and later earned the head job in 2022. Ex-Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets assistant coach Jordi Fernandez took over for Brooklyn in April of 2024, and he has earned high praise.
The Nets saw a lot in Fernandez, given their decision to hire him. But Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has seen Fernandez work with players in the time they shared together on Denver's staff for six seasons.
Malone gave an eye-opening admission on Fernandez's relationship skills before the Nets' Oct. 29 home matchup against the Nuggets:
"As a coach, you can know all the Xs and Os... But if you don't have a relationship with your players, none of that really matters. I think that's something that stood out to me with Jordi," Malone said, per Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.
Michael Malone praised Fernandez for the effort he made to cultivate relationships with players on and off the court. There is no doubt that Fernandez is continuing that intentionality with the Nets during the 2024-25 season.
Fernandez's approach will holistically help the Nets
One prime example of Jordi Fernandez engaging Nets players in a way that goes beyond the court was the life lesson he drew from Dennis Schroder's leadership.
After Brooklyn's Oct. 25 loss to the Orlando Magic, Ben Simmons was heckled and called "trash" by a fan. However, Schroder stood for none of it and quickly came to Simmons' defense, scolding the fan for his disrespect. Schroder emphasized that no matter what his teammates go through, he will be there and support them.
Then, Schroder came up huge in the Nets' Oct. 27 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, amassing 29 points and a game-high plus-minus of 29. Jordi Fernandez used Schroder's reliability on and on the court as opportunity to learn that one can be a leader in life in many different ways.
Furthermore, when Brooklyn got their first victory of the 2024-25 over the Bucks, players threw water on Fernandez and were happy for him. It may be a common occurrence for players to celebrate coaches in such a manner in the NBA, but Fernadnez is doing something to earn the trust of his players and staff members.
As the Nets continue to embark on their rebuild, they hope Fernandez can stick around and continue his outstanding service to the team. Perhaps Fernandez can help bring a championship to the Nets just as he has helped other organaitons build themselves and win.