Taking on the Nets in a rebuild year is a tall task for anyone.
Jordi Fernandez knew that going in. He was aware he would be asked to build a young group of players, develop them, and endure a season of musical chairs as the franchise tries to make moves for the future.
It’s a makeover season the Badalona, Spain, native had not experienced in the NBA, and it’s one that forced him to manage his frustrations by redefining winning to mean more than what the team’s record reflects.
“Obviously, as a competitor, I’m not going to react well to a loss,” Fernandez said after the practice Friday. “But, like I said before, seeing these guys getting better, seeing these guys fighting all the way until the end, those are wins for us. And, like I said before, winning starts now. We’re not waiting to win. It’s just that what winning means for you is different and we don’t need to share that, but we feel like we’re winning a lot of things right now.”
Before arriving in Brooklyn, Fernandez was an assistant coach for the Nuggets (2016-22) and the Kings (2022-24), and the combined eight years all yielded winning seasons — five of which included playoff appearances.
In Denver, he helped develop a team that appeared in one Western Conference Final and two semifinals prior to the team taking home the championship in the 2022-23 season without him.
With the Kings, he had a 94-70 record over two seasons with one first-round playoff appearance.
He was part of teams 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 of what he has taken away from the experience. “You have a plan. You’re going to go through the process and now all of a sudden you’re in it. You can expect things, but reality is always going to hit you a different way. As long as you come back the next day and you’re positive, get better. … And again, we cannot take NBA games for granted and everything we’ll do is to go out there and fight at the highest level we can.”
Fernandez has adjusted to focus on establishing “winning habits” in his players, and seeing their progress in buying in on those guidelines is where the coach starts to count his wins.
His players are aware of this and his competitiveness.
Ziaire Williams noted that if Fernandez’s standards of being “physical” and “the hardest working team out there” aren’t met, he can expect a tougher practice the next day.
Jalen Wilson said Fernandez “for sure hates losing, like us all.”
“Losing a game is never fun but we have a pretty defined plan in place and the process that we’re going through,” the head coach said. “Obviously, winning games is important, too. We’re going out there to try to win every game and we all understand that. For me, the most important thing is [general manager] Sean’s [Marks] support and knowing that the communication is great and we’re all on the same page. Obviously, my wife has to deal with me every day and my kids, but that’s been good.”
Trades and the losses have piled up to disrupt the Nets’ flow, but they also have endured several injuries throughout the season and have four typical starters on the extensive health bill.
Fernandez led the Nets to a surprising hot start and has continued to keep a positive outlook for a team with an uncertain present and future.
“You just see how much he does want to win and when we do, we’re excited and we learn from our wins and when we lose, we learn from our losses and how we lost,” Wilson said. “No matter if it’s a one-point loss or a 20-point loss, we are always trying to figure out how to get better. He’s the perfect guy for that to happen.”
