The Brooklyn Nets are getting bigger without getting slower. At least that\u2019s how it appears Sean Marks and Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez will build in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
Say it with us: No more small ball!<\/p>\n
The Nets have spent the past year finding and adding players who can handle the rock, shoot the three, pass and create from \u201cpositions\u201d that traditionally haven\u2019t demanded all of those skills. They believe that maintaining size \u2014 and versatility \u2014 without sacrificing some skill or athleticism can give them an advantage.<\/p>\n
At Media Day, Fern\u00e1ndez offered<\/a> a glimpse into how that could look with Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor D\u00ebmin in the backcourt this season:<\/p>\n \u201cYou guys know that I don\u2019t like to give you my secrets, but I\u2019m pretty sure we\u2019ll see that,\u201d the third year coach said when asked if the two high picks will be starting together. \u201cGoing back to the skill set, right? Like, you know, the ability to shoot from both of them, real ability to create, and the positional size\u2026 They have been brought here for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n Surrounding those two ball-handlers, Brooklyn\u2019s roster construction shows a clear prioritization of positional size, versatility, skill \u2026 and quick decision-making. Emphasis on quick decision-making. We constantly circle back to this<\/a> quote from Sean Marks in June 2025:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s 0.5-second basketball, you catch and make a decision. You don\u2019t hold the ball\u2026 It\u2019s also where the NBA is going: guys who can play multiple positions, guard multiple positions, and make it hard on the defense,\u201d said the Nets GM.<\/p>\n On the cloudy Monday in Brooklyn, NetsDaily\u2019s Lucas Kaplan<\/a> asked Marks if Brooklyn\u2019s positional size represented an organizational shift, a goal shift, or simply a case of the players fitting a certain type of mold.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a combination of all the above,\u201d answered Marks.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat becomes available, where you\u2019re picking in the draft and so forth, I do think positional size is a factor we look at. Jordi and I are hand-in-hand in that when we discuss who we want to bring in, and what position, and what needs we look for. Sometimes size can make up for some other deficiencies. It\u2019s certainly a factor.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s certain, though, is that the Nets roster for 2026-27 is historically big. At 6\u20194\u201d in bare feet, Keon Ellis and Nolan Traore are the only players players under 6\u20196\u201d. The roster also features 13 players, out of the 20 in camp, who top out at more than 6\u20198\u201d.<\/p>\n Thus, the franchise have a pretty specific idea of the type of player they want. And he and Jordi are \u201chand-in-hand\u201d on the plan, Marks emphasized. Positional size is the starting point, and Fern\u00e1ndez was already a couple steps ahead of the game when he said this in over a year ago:<\/p>\n \u201dPositional size is very important and you guys can see here with your eye test,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez told<\/a> the New York Daily News in July 2025. \u201cI would play these guys almost 1 through 4, 1 through 5. So that\u2019s a good thing for us. You\u2019ll see length, athleticism, and we\u2019ll keep working on that physicality and communication.\u201d<\/p>\n Brooklyn isn\u2019t collecting tall players for the sake of being tall. It\u2019s giving more players responsibilities that traditionally belonged to a specific position. More versatility. So, it doesn\u2019t necessarily make it \u201ceasy\u201d for defenses to adjust. There is an obvious drawback to building around size: size alone doesn\u2019t create an offense. Players need to turn into stars.<\/p>\n Ultimately, everyone has to be able to create with the ball in and out of their hands if they\u2019re operating in this type of system. Moving the ball now bec0mes more important than the tyranny of 1 through 5.<\/p>\n The importance of Egor D\u00ebmin <\/p>\n The 6\u20199\u201d sophomore has the physical profile of a wing but the instincts of a lead ball handler. He probably isn\u2019t going to be handling the rock every single possession, but the possession will begin in his hands. Vision \u2014 and setting players up for the best look possible \u2014 is going to become the identity of the Nets. Fern\u00e1ndez has already pointed to the way his size and passing can influence the team\u2019s pace.<\/p>\n \u201dHis positional size and his playmaking,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said<\/a> in July 2025 about what excited him most about his first lottery pick. \u201cIt\u2019s very important that we help each other and we give each other the best shot possible, and we believe that he can do it. Whether playing pick-and-roll or simply making the right play. That\u2019s who he is, and if you watch him play and you get to know him, you can see that right away.\u201d<\/p>\n D\u00ebmin isn\u2019t the only example.<\/p>\n Brown Jr., Nolan Traor\u00e9, and Ben Saraf all bring different versions of the same concept \u2014 players who can initiate, create or make plays without necessarily fitting the traditional profile of a point guard. Danny Wolf offers it from an entirely different place on the floor, with the challenge now being how quickly his skill set translates to the NBA.<\/p>\n A D\u2019Antoni Connection\u2026 and a Euro one<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard not to think about former Nets assistant and Hall-of-Fame head coach Mike D\u2019Antoni when hearing Fern\u00e1ndez speak about playing his guys \u201cone through four, one through five.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking with Eric Jay Santos of Sports Illustrated<\/a>, D\u2019Antoni outlined the core philosophy behind continuous, ball-movement offenses:<\/p>\n \u201cYou set up a system where the ball movement and the opposing defense will lead to the option… Everybody\u2019s the No. 1 option. Everybody has the ability to be able to score, pass, and move. That\u2019s when it\u2019s the best. When you single out a person and it\u2019s constantly them, it gets kind of bogged down. It\u2019s easier for the opposing defense to load up.\u201d<\/p>\n The Nets aren\u2019t recreating D\u2019Antoni\u2019s Seven Seconds or Less Suns. But some of the underlying ideas are familiar, and D\u2019Antoni had already begun testing versions of that philosophy in Italy<\/a> more than two decades ago.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just trying to maximize the point guard, trying to maximize spacing, use the three. And I just went with it. You tweak it every year, you do a little bit different. You have different personnel. But the basics were there. It started in Italy and I just kind of ran with it,\u201d D\u2019Antoni told<\/a> NBA.com. \u201cI was insecure as a coach coming back to the NBA whether it would work or not.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s where the international piece comes in.<\/p>\n Six players on the Nets roster have significant international backgrounds, giving Fern\u00e1ndez, a native of Spain himself, a group that has developed through basketball systems outside the traditional American college-to-NBA pipeline.<\/p>\n D\u00ebmin, born and raised in Russia, developed through Real Madrid\u2019s famous youth academy before playing at BYU.Nolan Traor\u00e9 came through France\u2019s famed INSEP developmental system and LNB Pro A.Ben Saraf, born and raised in Israel, was an MVP at the FIBA U18 European Championship.Danny Wolf is a 7-foot hybrid big with dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship, having played FIBA ball with Israel\u2019s youth national team.The team also added Moritz Wagner, a 2023 FIBA World Cup gold medalist with Germany who brings physicality and versatility to Brooklyn.Finally, there\u2019s Josh Minott, an explosive 6\u20198\u201d forward who represents the Jamaican national team internationally.<\/p>\n Before taking over in Brooklyn, Fern\u00e1ndez built his reputation in international basketball, most notably leading Canada to a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Before that, he was an assistant coach of the Nigerian national team under Mike Brown. That Canadian roster also reflected the philosophy: only one player stood shorter than 6\u20195\u201d on that Fernandez squad as well \u2014 6\u20194\u201d Andrew Nembhard.<\/p>\n Fern\u00e1ndez understands the international game, but he also understands that international experience alone doesn\u2019t guarantee NBA success.<\/p>\n