The Brooklyn Nets welcomed new leadership during the 2024 offseason after parting ways with former head coach Jacque Vaughn. The Nets hired ex-Sacramento Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez as their new leader in April of 2024. The hiring coincides with Brooklyn's shift toward developing their younger talent, as Fernandez played an integral role in helping the Kings climb the ranks of the Western Conference from 2022 to 2024.
Fernandez has a lot on his plate, as he is also the head coach for the Team Canada basketball squad competing in the 2024 Olympics. He has helped Canada achieve a 2-0 record with Preliminary Round wins against Greece and Australia. Furthermore, the head coach revealed insight into Canada's play against Australia that will catch Nets fans' attention.
"When you’re good defensively, you’re happy,” Fernandez said after the 93-88 win, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “I was unhappy with our physicality in the first half, we just got to put four quarters together. It wasn’t perfect, but at the end of the day, in the game of basketball, there’s a lot of imperfections, and you have to fight through it.”
One part of Fernandez's response sticks out: fighting through imperfections.
Jordi Fernandez's Team Canada stint proves Nets are in good hands
The Brooklyn Nets have had anything but a perfect tenure during the 2020s era. After acquiring several superstars, Brooklyn failed to secure a championship. Then, the franchise signaled they would build around Mikal Bridges after he arrived from Phoenix via the Kevin Durant trade in the spring of 2023. But the Nets eventually parted ways with the talented two-way wing, leaving Jordi Fernandez to lead a new era of Brooklyn basketball.
Fernandez will have access to some of the most promising young talent in the NBA during the 2024-25 season. Cam Thomas will return as the Nets' leading scorer. In addition, Brooklyn re-signed a defensive hound in Nic Claxton. Most notably, the Nets have a plethora of first-round picks for the coming years as fruit that ultimately stems from trading their stars. Moving Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks only increased Brooklyn's assets, and they have to be happy with the position they are in.
The talent Jordi Fernandez is working with on Team Canada will not be the same pool he will have access to with the Brooklyn Nets. Yet, the leadership he is showing on the international stage proves one thing: Brooklyn's core is in good hands. It will be exciting to see how the head coach continues to lead in the Olympics ahead of his Brooklyn debut during the Fall.