Jordi Fernandez’s first comments to reporters since his inaugural press conference came at a clinic for local children.
This was the right move, as the Nets’ new head coach is known for player development and his staff has a strong focus on that.
The nine-man coaching staff, with a strong developmental mindset (but no former NBA head coach to provide stability for the rookie), shows where the Nets are in their rebuild and what their focus is heading into next season.
“Right now I feel like we have the energy that the players need because if you bring that energy as a coaching staff, the players have no choice. [but to do the same]”We’re just going to keep doing it every day and getting a percent better every day, so we’re going to get better every week, every month,” Fernandez, 41, said.
“and [across] “It’s an 82-game regular season, which is very important. And we have a lot of guys with a lot of player development experience, guys who can still play, former players who won it all. So I’m confident we have the best group for what we’re trying to do, and I’m very excited about the process.”
Fernandez spoke at a basketball clinic at Charles O. Dewey Middle School in Brooklyn.
While Monday was a light-hearted day teaching middle schoolers the value of “sweat equity,” Fernandez is just getting started on the real job of rebuilding a team that finished 32-50 last season.
He has already visited Ben Simmons in Miami and players have begun their own training.
The Nets had two of the four youngest players in the NBA last season and finished as the seventh-youngest team in the league.
One might hesitate to use the word “rebuild,” but Fernandez’s staff makeup suggests it.
Fernandez has assembled an energetic, development-focused group by adding assistants Steve Hetzel, Juwan Howard, Deividas Darkis, Connor Griffin and Travis Bader to retentions Jay Hernandez, Adam Capone, Ryan Forehan-Kelly and Corey Vinson.
“The commonalities are bringing energy to the court, player-development oriented coaches and coaches with a lot of player experience,” Fernandez said. “I wasn’t a professional player, but having enough players that have been there is important. Juwan has obviously played at a very high level and the other coaches have played at a high level and can play basketball with the players, which is important.”
Several have served as head coaches in the G League, including Howard, a former All-Star who coached at Michigan State University.
But what’s missing on the staff is a former NBA head coach to help Fernandez the way Steve Nash helped first Mike D’Antoni and then Steve Clifford.
“Yeah, I think it’s all valid. Every coach is valuable. We decided as an organization, including the front office and myself, to organize our coaching staff this way because I felt like that’s what suited me personally and that’s what we’re trying to get better at,” Fernandez said. “Making our players better is important.
“There’s no better way to develop players than actual playing time. We value actual playing time, not just in the NBA but in the G League as well. We have all the resources necessary for player development. But at the end of the day, we value team success above all else. So we’re going to make our message clear from the start: We expect our players to work hard every day in practice.”
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