Tag: Jordi Fernandez

Nets’ Jordi Fernandez talks Nic Claxton being a priority this summer

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez says that center Nic Claxton was a priority this summer and explains their growing partnership.

The Brooklyn Nets made some big moves this offseason when they hired former Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez and re-signed center Nic Claxton to a four-year, $97 million deal in free-agency. While Fernandez was joining the team for the first time, he had no doubts that Claxton was someone he wanted on the team no matter what.

“He was our priority this summer. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do age-wise and how he’s progressed all his years,” Fernandez said in an interview with HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto when asked about Claxton. There was plenty of chatter over whether the Nets would be bringing Claxton back to Brooklyn due to his next contract projected to be around $25 million per year.

“Me and the organization believe he’s still getting much better and can be a Defensive Player of the Year,” Fernandez explained. “He’s a good playmaker and can be an even better playmaker. We’re excited about his development and that he’s a part of the organization for a long time.”

When Fernandez was introduced to the media earlier this summer, one of the more interesting things he said during his press conference was his belief in Claxton having the ability to be a Defensive Player of the Year kind of player. With the way that Fernandez has been talking about Claxton, it seems that the two are destined for a fruitful partnership.

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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez, Canada beat Spain 88-85 in Paris Olympics

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez led Canada to a 88-85 win over Spain on Friday in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez came into this summer looking to lead the Canadian Men’s National Basketball Team to a gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Fernandez and Team Canada had a tough test coming up against Spain, but it looks like Fernandez and his players were ready for the challenge.

Canada beat Spain 88-85 on Friday in a nail-biting game that required some heroics from players like Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett. Canada led by as many as 14 points in this one before Spain fought back valiantly to bring the game down to one possession before Barrett hit a dagger three-pointer with 38.8 seconds to give the Canadians a 85-80 lead.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 20 points and three rebounds while Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard had 18 points and two assists. Barrett finished with 16 points and Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks had 13 points in the crucial win for Canada.

The Canadians are now 3-0 in the Olympics as they wait to see who they will be facing in the quarterfinals of the tournament. With Canada’s win over Spain, they will advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2000.

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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez has great NBA future in David Blatt’s eyes

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has a bright NBA future ahead of him, per former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez came to the franchise with a lot of praise given his history in player development and the good that he has done at each of his coaching stops. Not only does Fernandez have plenty of people saying good things about him, but a former NBA head coach in firmly in his corner as well.

Per Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com, former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt has been giving advice to Fernandez ever since he took over as head coach of the Canadian Men’s National Basketball Team last summer. So far, Canada is 2-0 and is looking to win the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in large part because of Fernandez’s efforts.

“I really predict a great [NBA] future for him. He stepped into a situation that allows him to develop and grow the program,” Blatt said of Fernandez. “The expectations for that organization will focus on those two aspects initially.”

Fernandez became the head coach for Brooklyn shortly after his Sacramento Kings were eliminated from the play-in tournament and since then, the Nets have changed significantly. At one point, Brooklyn was expected to improve enough to get back to the playoffs, but that mission went out the window after the organization traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks last month.

“I don’t think he needs to be a playoff team in his first or second year, but he must help the team develop, create an identity, and grow patiently, purposefully, and consistently. I believe he’s very much built for that,” Blatt said of Fernandez.

Fernandez probably won’t be expected to lead a playoff team for the next few years, but he will be expected to develop a young roster in the meantime and it seems that one former head coach believes in his ability to do so.

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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez, Canada beat Australia 93-83 in 2024 Paris Olympics

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez and Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett lead Team Canada to a 93-83 win over Australia on Tuesday.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has had a busy summer as he is currently the head coach of the Canadian Men’s National Basketball Team with the hopes of winning a gold medal. Fernandez and Team Canada is well on their way to winning it all after another impressive victory over a formidable opponent.

On Tuesday, Canada beat Australia 93-83 to earn a 2-0 record thanks to a strong performance from Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett, who put up 24 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the winning effort. Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 16 points and four rebounds of his own while Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks amassed 16 points and three rebounds.

Canada had a tough task ahead of them as they had to face an Australian team led by Miami Heat guard Patty Mills and Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey. Mills had an off game as he put up just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, but Giddey played well as he put forth a stat line of 19 points, seven rebounds, and six assists to keep the Aussies somewhat close in the contest.

With a game that included 13 lead changes and nine other times where the score was tied, it became clear that this was a matchup between two teams that were capable of making it far in the Olympics based on the amount of talent on both sides. Ultimately, Canada came out on top thanks to the play of Barrett and the Canadians forcing Australia into 18 turnovers over the course of the game.

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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez lays out expectations for upcoming season

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez recently spoke about his expectations for the Nets heading into the 2024-25 season.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez received a huge promotion prior to the current 2024 Paris Olympics as he earned the right to be the next head coach of the Nets. For a Brooklyn team that went from competing for a playoff spot to going into a full rebuild, Fernandez now gets to fully lean into his player development skill set.

“The expectations are to get better every day, to be connected, and to do what’s best for the team,” Fernandez said recently to the media prior to his commitment to be the head coach for the Canadian National Men’s Basketball Team. He has essentially been pulling double duty as he has also been keeping an eye on how his Nets players are developing at this time as well.

“If we do that every single day, we’re going to be fine,” Fernandez explained. “I need everybody in the organization to understand that it’s not something you say one day. You’ve got to put the work into it. I think so far our guys have been amazing. For eight weeks, they’ve been working really hard.”

Fernandez appears to be ready for the opportunity to lead a fairly-young roster through a rebuild in which their development will be paramount to the future of the organization. While he is currently trying to lead Canada to a gold medal in the Olympics, he is also keeping in mind his goal to make every player on the Nets better as well.

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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez, Canada beat Greece 86-79 in Paris Olympics

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez led Team Canada to their first win of the 2024 Paris Olympics by beating Greece 86-79 on Saturday.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has been a busy man ever since the NBA playoffs as he was hired to be the franchise’s next head coach. Despite the promotion, Fernandez still had the honor of being the head coach for the Canadian National Men’s Basketball team, a squad that got off to a great start in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Team Canada, led by Fernandez, began the Olympics with a great 86-79 win over Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Team Greece on Saturday. It was a close win as the Greek National Men’s Basketball team did what it could to stay in the game since both teams are trying to win the gold medal.

Heading into the Paris Olympics, Fernandez was going to rely on players like Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lead a Canadian team that is deep with NBA talent. Gilgeous-Alexander put up 21 points, five rebounds, and seven assists while Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett put 23 points and four rebounds.

Despite Greece getting a stellar 34-point, five-rebound performance from Antetokounmpo, the next highest-scorer was Kostas Papanikolaou as he finished with 17 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Ultimately, Team Canada came out on top thanks to the depth of the team and the quality of Fernandez’s coaching.

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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez, Canada begin 2024 Paris Olympics vs. Greece

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez and Team Canada begin their 2024 Paris Olympics run against Greece on Saturday. Here’s more.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has been doing a lot of multi-tasking this summer as he is trying to prepare his Nets for the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season while getting the Canadian Men’s National Team ready for the 2024 Paris Olympics. By all accounts, it seems that Fernandez has done a good job of balancing both obligations as Team Canada is one of the best teams in the field.

Fernandez will be leading a Canadian team with some great players in Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray along with a talented supporting cast of players like Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks and Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett.

If Canada is going to leave Paris with the gold medal, Fernandez and company will have to play/coach the best basketball of their lives given how tough the rest of the competition is.

The group that Team Canada is in, Group A, will pit them against two of the five best teams in the Olympics, per the FIBA World Rankings, and they will also have to face a Greece team that will have two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo leading them on the floor.

Team Canada will be facing Greece on Saturday at 3 PM ET and it will be a matchup between the seventh-best team in the world (Canada) and the 14th-best team (Greece). More of the information for the event is in the X post below.

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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez talks Mikal Bridges trade; future outlook

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez recently spoke on the Mikal Bridges trade as well as how he feels about the Nets’ future outlook.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has been a busy man this summer as he is trying to guide Team Canada to a gold medal in the Olympics while overseeing the team. Fernandez has been known as a player development coach for awhile now, but Brooklyn has also changed significantly since he was hired.

“I think Sean (Marks) said it. I was going through a process. We know that we wanted to do something sustainable, and we wanted to win and build something very special,” Fernandez said prior to the beginning of the Las Vegas Summer League to the media when asked about the Mikal Bridges trade. When Fernandez was hired for the job, the Nets seemed like a team that wanted to build towards the future with Bridges in the fold, but things changed last month when Brooklyn traded him to the New York Knicks.

“There were different avenues to do it, and this was a possible one,” Fernandez said. “We just could not control what other teams would offer, so we would have to sit and wait. He (Marks) had different avenues to get there. When the opportunity presented itself, he called me, and I knew before it came out to the media.”

As a result of the Bridges trade, the Nets were able to acquire as many as five first-round picks and three players, including veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic, someone that can still space the floor and score and will also be entering his second stint with Brooklyn. After a trade with the Houston Rockets in which the Nets gained control of some of their draft picks, Brooklyn is set up for a encouraging rebuild and Fernandez is all for it.

“I was very excited because I know how the NBA works, and I know how good you can get when you have assets, flexibility, and so forth. I’m just very excited,” Fernandez said.

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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez, Team Canada loses to Team USA in exhibition 86-72

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez and Team Canada lost to Team USA on Wednesday in an exhibition opener for both teams 86-72.

The Brooklyn Nets are about to compete in the Las Vegas Summer League that begins on Friday to see what the second-year players have learned from last year. The start of the summer league is just one day away so in the meantime, it’s time to catch up on what Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez is doing.

Fernandez is also the head coach of the Canadian Men’s National Team and as such, he has been trying to be in two places at once as he has been watching Nets practice on video after he has ran practice for the Canadians in person. The first taste of what Nets fans could expect from Fernandez was shown on Wednesday when Team Canada lost to Team USA 86-72 in the USA Basketball showcase in Vegas.

Putting the loss aside since it is a tune-up game for both teams until the games become real towards the end of the month, fans could see how Fernandez likes to operate his offense and defense.

Granted, Team Canada is more talented than Brooklyn is expected to be this upcoming season as Fernandez currently has the services of players like MVP-runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets.

It was clear from the beginning that Fernandez requires his players to play hard and to be willing to extend themselves on the defensive end as Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks of the Houston Rockets were pressuring Team USA ball-handlers well beyond the three-point line.

Also, it looks like Fernandez’s offense prioritizes ball movement and body movement as most of the players on the Canadian National Team are better on the move than they are remaining stationary. Team Canada is expected to be one of the best teams in the Olympic field and it’s easy to see why with the talent they have.

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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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