Shooting nets in a rebuilding year is a tall task for anyone.
Jordi Fernandes knew it was going in. He knew that as the franchise sought to make future moves, he would be asked to build a group of young players, develop them and endure seasons in the musical chair.
It was a transformational season the native Badalona had never experienced in the NBA, one that forced him to manage his frustrations by redefining winning to mean more than the team's record reflected. It's a thing.
“Obviously, as a competitor, I'm not going to react well to a loss,” Fernandez said after Friday's practice. “But like I said before, you see these guys getting better, you see these guys fighting to the end, they win for us. And like I said before, winning starts now. Don't wait to win. That's what winning means differently to you, and we don't have to share it. But I feel like we've won a lot now.”
Prior to arriving in Brooklyn, Fernandez was an assistant coach with the Nuggets (2016-22) and Kings (2022-24), all eight years total producing winning seasons.
In Denver, he helped develop a team that appeared in one Western Conference Finals and two semifinals before taking home a championship in the 2022-23 season.
With the Kings, he had a 94-70 record over two seasons and made his first playoff appearance.
He was part of a team that went 375–220 before his first head coaching gig.
Now, his team (14-31) has lost 18 of its last 22 games as part of a mission to tank for a chance at a high draft pick.
“The reality is you don't know until you know,” Fernandez said of what he took away from the experience. “You have a plan. You go through a process and now all of a sudden you're there. You can expect things but reality always shows you differently. It's going to hit. Come back the next day and as long as you stay positive, it gets better. …And again, we don't take NBA games for granted and everything we do is there. to go out there and compete at the highest level possible.”
Fernandes has adjusted his players to focus on establishing “winning habits.” And seeing purchase progress with those guidelines is where coaches start counting their wins.
His players know this and his competitive nature.
Ziaire Williams pointed out that if Fernandes' standards of being “physical” and “the hardest working team” are not met, they can expect a tougher practice the next day.
Jalen Wilson said Fernandez “certainly hates losing like all of us.”
“Losing a game is never fun, but there's a pretty defined plan and process we're going through,” the head coach said. “Obviously, winning is important too. We go out there to win every game, but we all understand that. For me, the most important thing is [general manager] shawns [Marks] Communication is great, supporting and knowing we're all on the same page. Obviously my wife has to deal with me and my kids every day, but it was nice. ”
Trades and losses have been piling up to disrupt the flow of the Nets, but they have endured several injuries throughout the season and have four typical starters on massive health bills.
Fernandes has led the Nets to a surprisingly hot start and continues the positive outlook for a team with an uncertain present and future.
“You just see how much he wants to win and when we do, we get excited and we learn from the wins and when we lose, we learn from our losses and I We learn how they lost,” Wilson said. “Whether it's a one-point loss or a 20-point loss, we're always trying to figure out how to get better. He's the perfect guy for that to happen.”
