Nets’ Jordi Fernandez speaks to mindset with building his staff

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez operated a basketball clinic on Monday, but he explained his process for building his staff.

The Brooklyn Nets are beginning a new era of the franchise after hiring Jordi Fernandez as the head coach after his time with the Sacramento Kings. Fernandez, who just finished building his coaching staff for the 2024-25 season, recently spoke about his method for building his assistants while hosting a basketball clinic on Monday for middle-school students.

“Common thread is bringing energy on the court, a lot of player development-oriented coaches. And also coaches with a lot of experience as players…I was not a pro…so it’s important that we have enough guys that’ve done it,” Fernandez said per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Fernandez, who’s history is rooted in player development, has surrounded himself with coaches of all different experience levels, including Juwan Howard, former head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. Fernandez appears to be building a staff that can cater to the younger players on the roster such as Cam Thomas and Noah Clowney.

“We decided as an organization…to build the coaching staff in this way, because we feel that’s what fits myself, and what we’re trying to do better,” Fernandez said according to Evan Barnes of Newsday. Since Fernandez has been introduced to the New York media, he has made it clear that his plan is to start winning games soon with the players that are already here.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the hiring of Fernandez given how well many around the league, players and league personnel alike, talk about what Fernandez brings to a locker room. Here is some of the sound from how Fernandez was leading his clinic:

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