The Brooklyn Nets are readily admitting that coach Jordi Fernández isn’t responsible for a 46-118 record over his first two seasons at the helm.
In fact, they believe he’s just the man to turn this ongoing Downtown renovation project into a winner.
“Jordi is a tremendous leader who, along with his coaching staff, put his stamp on this franchise from the moment he arrived in Brooklyn,” Nets general manager Sean Marks gushed in a team-issued statement, announcing the return of Fernández on a multi-year pact.
Though terms of the contract were not disclosed, as per team policy, Fernández figures to be around while the Nets go from bottom-dwellers to contenders in the next few years.
The 43-year-old Badalona, Spain native has been hamstrung throughout his first two campaigns, not by an organization that doesn’t believe in him, but by one that keeps compiling draft picks at the expense of veteran players.
Since unloading James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets have gone from perennial playoff entrant to missing the postseason three years in a row.
Fernández watched Brooklyn deal Mikal Bridges before he took the job and has lost a steady stream of experienced players – Dennis Schröder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Thomas – while dropping 56 and 62 games, respectively, since his arrival.
Armed with the youngest team the NBA has seen in two decades this past season, Fernández still sounded optimistic about the future during the team’s exit interviews at Barclays Center two weeks ago.
“I think we led the league in minutes played by rookies, and I thought that tells you that the best player-development coaches are real live minutes,” he said.
“Those are the wins that don’t; show up in the standings, but the wins that we believe in.”
Marks doubled down on that assertion, pointing out how the franchise’s historic haul of five first-rounders in the 2025 NBA Draft, Egor Dёmin, Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf, cut their teeth under Fernández.
“Over his first two seasons, Jordi has built a strong foundation rooted in player development, a competitive spirit and honest communication, all of which have been embraced throughout our roster,” Marks continued.
Fernández also got to retain his entire coaching staff from a season ago, one that includes Steve Hetzel, Juwan Howard, Jay Hernandez, Dutch Gaitley, Deividas Dulkys, Ryan Forehan-Kelly, Connor Griffin, Corey Vinson and Travis Bader.
“The energy and passion the entire staff relentlessly pour into our players reverberates throughout the organization, and we are excited to have this group continue to lead our franchise into the future,” noted Marks.
Nets GM Sean Marks believes Jordi Fernández is the right man to lead this franchise back into serious NBA contention. Photo: Mary Altaffer/AP
Fernández, the 24th coach in Nets history, will celebrate his second anniversary as a member of the organization on Wednesday.
Prior to arriving on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush, he spent 15 years as an NBA assistant in Cleveland, Denver and Sacramento before landing here.
Fernández has also held international coaching positions with Spain, Nigeria and Canada.
He spearheaded Team Canada’s charge to the 2023 FIBA World Cup bronze medal before guiding it to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fernández intimated prior to the extension that there was no place quite like Brooklyn.
“Very grateful [for the job], myself and my family,” he said. “And it’s very special. There’s only 30 jobs in the world, and having one, it’s more than special.
“My goal is not just to keep it, but help the organization with the plan that we have and build success and sustain it. Good things are going to happen in the long run.”
Rookie forward Egor Dёmin averaged just over 10.0 points per game last season under second-year Nets coach Jordi Fernández. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II
NOTHING BUT NET: Brooklyn has a 40% chance to land in the top 3 of the May 10 NBA Draft lottery. The Nets haven’t picked that high since 2010, when they selected power forward Derrick Favors out of Georgia Tech. Favors was traded to Utah, along with Devin Harris, following his rookie campaign. That was the deal that brought point guard Deron Williams to our borough ahead of the team’s move here in 2012. … Though he wouldn’t commit to any big moves ahead of or after the draft, Marks will have over $30 million in cap space to deal or sign free agents this offseason. “In terms of a long-term build, short-term build, I think we’ve positioned ourselves over the last year or two to maintain flexibility and have optionality, which I’m really looking forward to,” Marks noted. … Brooklyn has amassed 13 first-round picks over the next seven seasons.