The Nets gave Jordi Fernandez his first NBA head coaching job in part because of his developmental ethos, but also because of his international background.
And on the biggest international stage of all, the 2024 Paris Olympics, Fernandez’s work is drawing rave reviews.
Fernandez, who was hired by Brooklyn in April, led Canada to a 2-0 record in the group stage and a spot in the knockout stage.
After leading Canada to opening-round wins over Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo, and then a win over Australia, his tactics and conditioning impressed the crowd.
Canada is all but guaranteed to advance to the knockout stage whether they win or lose against Spain on Friday.
However, a win would almost certainly see them take the lead in Group A.
Fernandes delivered a stern rebuke to his players at half-time after a lackluster first-half performance against Australia.
He blamed his players for not being fit enough, and they stormed out of the locker room with a 19-8 blitz.
2024 Paris Olympics
“I’m happy with how well we played defensively,” Fernandez said, “I wasn’t happy with how physical we were in the first half. We just had to play a good fourth quarter. We weren’t perfect, but at the end of the day, there’s a lot of imperfections in the game of basketball and you’ve got to fight through it.”
Fernandez also made some subtle tweaks.
After Australia’s Josh Giddey wore them down, Fernandes adjusted and fitted him with his famous defensive gloves, the Le Dote.
That may have been a turning point, as the Canadian team went from defense to offense.
Veteran NBA writer Josh Lewenberg wrote:[Y]Indeed, his best performance to date was Tuesday’s 93-83 win over Canada and Australia in Group A.
Now Fernandez will lead his team against his home country and his mentor: Canada will play its final group game against Spain at 11:15 a.m. Friday, the international star whom Fernandez calls “the father of basketball.”
Meanwhile, he calls David Blatt, a consultant for the Canadian team, his guardian angel.
And Bratt is thrilled with his job in Paris.
“I’m really great [NBA] “The future is bright for him. He’s stepped up to a position where he can develop and grow the program,” Blatt told BasketballNews.
“The expectations for that organization are going to be centered primarily on those two aspects. I don’t think he needs to make the playoffs in his first or second year, but he has to help develop the team, establish an identity and grow patiently, purposefully and consistently. I think he has the build to do that.”
“One of the reasons I highly recommended him is not only because we have known each other for many years, but also because his European background makes him a perfect fit for the evolving NBA environment, which is increasingly appreciating and aligning with the European style of play. He fits in very well with that. He is an excellent communicator and relationship builder, which will serve him well in his new role.”
The Nets point guard is also almost certain to advance to the knockout stage.
Dennis Schroder, who led Germany to victory at last year’s FIBA World Cup and was named MVP, also led Germany to a 2-0 record at the Olympics.
Schroder finished with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 4-of-9 3-pointers and six assists in the win over Brazil.
Hosts France are the other unbeaten team in Group B and will face Schroder on Friday at 11:15 a.m.
After Brooklyn re-signed Nic Claxton, the center’s contract details were revealed and the four-year deal looks more favorable to the team than expected.
With the Nets rebuilding, there are plenty of games coming up soon.
Claxton will make $28.4 million this season and $26.1 million next season.
But he will make a total of $45.5 million over the second half of the contract.
With the salary cap inflated by his huge television rights contract, Claxton’s salary went from 16.8% of the salary cap in his first year, per Spotrac, to just 11.5% and 9.5% in his final two years.
That puts him on par with players like Grayson Allen, Deni Avdija, Dort and Kevin Huerter, as well as veterans like Tim Hardaway Jr., Caris LeVert and Klay Thompson.
