The Brooklyn Nets have finished their preseason with plenty of takeaways on the positive side and on the negative side as the team is trying to figure things out sooner rather than later. One of the takeaways that Brooklyn saw was how their rookie point guards will have to learn to deal with teams pressuring them, but head coach Jordi Fernandez is encouraged by the trails and tribulations.
“Handling their physicality, obviously, we struggled in the first half with 21 turnovers for 31 points. But, then we responded, and we had seven turnovers for three points in the second half,” Fernandez said following Friday’s 119-114 preseason finale loss at the Toronto Raptors. As Fernandez alluded to, the Nets turned the ball over 23 times, leading to 34 points for the Raptors, with the rookies accounting for nine of those turnovers.
“Really proud of the guys, how they responded with everything that it’s been thrown at us, and finding a way to fight for a game,” Fernandez continued. “That’s the most important thing. I’m happy with the adversity that, especially our young point guards had to deal with, and happy how they responded. I want all of them to keep being positive and play.”
One of the main storylines that have surrounded Brooklyn since training camp began has been which of the rookie point guards will win the starting point guard spot. From the outset, it seemed that Egor Demin, the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, was in the driver’s seat given his high draft capital and how he performed in the Las Vegas Summer League.
What could complicate the process for Fernandez is that Demin has only played in one preseason game, but in the preseason finale, Demin put up 14 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes on the floor. Demin also seemed to be the best of the three in handling Toronto’s ball-pressure, but Fernandez was happy with his rookie point guards as a whole down the long run because of how they handled the adversity.