Jordi Fernandez has had himself quite a week.
The Nets traveled to Sacramento on Sunday and beat the Kings, led by Fernandez’s longtime mentor, Mike Brown. On Monday, they rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat a healthier Warriors team in San Francisco without Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney and Dorian Finney-Smith. Golden State entered the night as the No. 1 team in the Western Conference.
However, Brooklyn saved the best performance of its 3-1 road trip for last. Wednesday in Phoenix, without Claxton, Clowney, Jalen Wilson and Cam Thomas, Fernandez’s shorthanded squad took down Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the Suns 127-117. Two-way player Tyrese Martin exploded for a career-high 30 points off the bench.
The Nets returned to Barclays Center for Friday’s game against Orlando 9-10 on the season, good for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and 6-1 against Western Conference teams. They were on a season-best three-game winning streak and had won four of five.
Keep in mind, the over/under line for Brooklyn’s projected win total entering 2024-25 was set at 19.5 across all major sports books. This was supposed to be a lost season. They were expected to tank for higher draft position in a loaded 2025 class, not flirt with .500 as the calendar turns to December.
But Fernandez’s group couldn’t care less about outside expectations. The camaraderie in the locker room is real. Their effort on the court has been unmatched, and each time their season has been expected to take a turn for the worst, they have managed to get better. Their resilience has been impressive to watch. It starts with their head coach.
“I think we’re coming together. We’re valuing the same things,” Fernandez said. “At the beginning you hear it, but you start buying into it when you see it, and that’s the most important thing.”
Enough time has passed. The vision should be clear now.
The Nets have four first-round picks and two second-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. General manager Sean Marks could easily throw in the towel on this season and look toward the future. However, establishing a competitive, winning culture has apparently taken precedence. While there is still a lot of season left, it appears that tanking is no longer a part of the team’s plans. Maybe it never was.
“People can say we’re in a rebuilding stage and things like that, but as players and competitors, you don’t really want to accept losing,” Martin said. “Even in life, you want to win in everything you do… I think there’s a lot of those guys in the locker room and we all feel that way.”
Brooklyn plays with high levels of energy and enthusiasm each night. Guys such as Martin, Ziaire Williams, Jalen Wilson and Keon Johnson have stepped up as injuries continue to deplete the roster. Veterans such as Cam Johnson, Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith are having career years in spite of the trade rumors that continue to follow them. These are not the qualities of a losing franchise. These are the building blocks of something special.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries, unfortunate for our team, but I feel like everybody has stepped up in different moments,” Martin said. “Guys are stepping up when their number is called. We’ve been doing it, and I hope we keep doing it.”
Brooklyn has been impressive statistically as well.
The Nets have had four different players score at least 30 points over their last four games: Johnson, Thomas, Schröder then Martin. Their offensive rating of 115.5 ranks eighth in the league entering Friday’s games. Only Boston (56.3%) and Charlotte (48.8%) have attempted a greater percentage of their shots from 3-point range this season, and Brooklyn leads the league percentage wise (42.2%) over its last 10 games. Over the team’s last three appearances, the bench is also averaging 43.3 points per game.
“Everybody can hoop. Everybody can play,” Trendon Watford said. ” It’s a next-man-up mentality.”
