The Brooklyn Nets have found the man to lead the team into the next era of the franchise in former Sacramento Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez. Fernandez will have an unique experience given that his first time as an NBA head coach will be for a rebuilding Brooklyn franchise, but he feels like he’s ready for the challenge.
Fernandez recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Sarah Kustok of YES Network and one of the topics that came up was what is to come for Fernandez in this spot. Among other things, Fernandez said that he “learned that in the NBA’s G League” in terms of dealing with roster turnover given that is typically the norm with G League teams.
Fernandez, 41, was with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ G League franchise, the Canton Charge, from 2013 to 2016 and he became the head coach of the Charge in 2014 after being an assistant coach in 2013. Fernandez ended his tenure as the head coach of the Charge with a 62-38 record (62.0% winning percentage) and went 5-5 (50.0%) in the playoffs, including advancing to the semi-finals in two of his three seasons.
“There’s a lot of changes in the G League, the roster, how everything works,” Fernandez explained. “So, right there, I learned that I’m a problem solver. Sometimes, problems come your way and you get frustrated with what happened. But, if I didn’t create it, it’s not gonna affect me that much. What I’m going to try to do is figure it out.”
Fernandez sounds like someone who has been there and done that and yet, being a head coach in the NBA will still be a first-time experience for him. However, he has seen a lot of basketball since he began his coaching career at 15 years old and he seems like he already knows who he is. “My job is to be the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets,” Fernandez said.
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