{"id":580886,"date":"2026-02-04T02:15:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T02:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/580886\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T02:15:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T02:15:13","slug":"after-blowouts-jordi-fernandez-calls-for-consistency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/580886\/","title":{"rendered":"After blowouts, Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez calls for consistency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two nights after a 53-point loss to the Detroit Pistons<\/a>, the Nets returned to Barclays Center carrying the weight of a brutal stretch that has defined the past two weeks. They\u2019re 2-8 in their last 10 games entering Tuesday\u2019s matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. Three of those losses have come by 35 points or more.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s been harder to measure is the team\u2019s internal pulse before games tip off.<\/p>\n

Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez was asked whether he can sense his group\u2019s focus level ahead of time, whether there are signs during shootaround or pregame that hint at how the night might unfold.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I could see that, I should probably be working on Wall Street,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said. \u201cI try to have a feel for it, but it\u2019s hard to judge because the NBA has so many variables \u2014 schedule, back-to-backs, travel, time changes. The more experience I get, maybe I\u2019ll get better at it. What matters is consistency and not being too emotional about it. No matter the schedule, no matter who\u2019s out, there are no excuses. Good teams find a way. That\u2019s what I\u2019m asking from our guys: consistency in how we play and our purpose. Don\u2019t overthink it. Just come back and do it in a positive way. I\u2019m not mad at the guys. I want us to have a chip on our shoulder and go out there and play really hard. This is part of the NBA.\u201d<\/p>\n

That theme surfaced again when Fern\u00e1ndez was asked what the priorities are now. For this group, the response to adversity is less about talk and more about how they follow through by learning to compete consistently.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust to compete for 48 minutes from the first to the last possession,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said. \u201cI think when we\u2019ve done that, we\u2019ve looked very competitive and good, and we\u2019ve gotten better. The moments when we haven\u2019t done that, that\u2019s not helping us grow. So that\u2019s the challenge. I think it\u2019s been more positive than negative. Was it the game that we wanted the other day? No. But we competed, guys are getting better, and now we\u2019ve got to move on while holding each other accountable to a high standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

IMPACT BEYOND ALL-STAR<\/p>\n

Michael Porter Jr.\u2019s value to the Nets didn\u2019t hinge on an All-Star nod<\/a>, and nothing about his role changes without it. Fern\u00e1ndez pointed to the parts of Porter\u2019s game that ripple through the rest of the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps everybody else,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said. \u201cIt shows his work ethic. He\u2019s dealt with injuries and worked hard to play at this level. He won a championship, comes here in a different role, and works hard every day. He leads by example.\u201d<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t all about the stats when it comes to Porter. His presence in the locker room is just as important. Fern\u00e1ndez said he\u2019s embraced mentoring the younger players, doing it with a steady demeanor and a constant smile. For a developing team, that influence matters as much as the points.<\/p>\n

BACK IN THE MIX<\/p>\n

Noah Clowney and Ziaire Williams returned to the lineup Tuesday after brief injury absences that disrupted Brooklyn\u2019s rotation. Clowney missed five games with a lower back sprain that developed over time, while Williams sat three with a left calf contusion after trying to play through it.<\/p>\n

Fern\u00e1ndez cautioned that one could be on a temporary minutes restriction going forward. \u201cFor one of them, yes. I\u2019m not going to tell you which one,\u201d he said. \u201cThose guys are excited and ready to play.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two nights after a 53-point loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Nets returned to Barclays Center carrying the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":580887,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3767],"tags":[7,670,247,3803,248,300,562,6,671,297],"class_list":{"0":"post-580886","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn-nets","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-brooklyn","10":"tag-brooklyn-nets","11":"tag-brooklynnets","12":"tag-jordi-fernandez","13":"tag-lakers","14":"tag-michael-porter-jr","15":"tag-nba","16":"tag-nets","17":"tag-pistons"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116009954460667677","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=580886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/580887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=580886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=580886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=580886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}