Jordi Fernandez on Nets' offseason plans: ‘You can only control what you can control, and right now that's what we know for sure'

Yahoo

16-04-2025

Jordi Fernandez on Nets' offseason plans: 'You can only control what you can control, and right now that's what we know for sure'
The mantra the Nets have followed this season is 'getting one percent better each day'. For those interested in learning more about it, it's a concept highlighted in the book 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear.
By that logic, Jordi Fernandez should've gotten at least 79% better this season, given the Nets just completed their 79th regular-season game Tuesday night, a 119-114 defeat of the New Orleans Pelicans at Barclays Center.
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It's tough for the first-year head coach to calculate how much he's grown since being hired last summer. He understands perfection is an unrealistic expectation, and there have been plenty of ups and downs sprinkled throughout this 26-53 campaign. But even through the struggles, his fellow coaches and Brooklyn's front office continue to practice grace. And organizational support matters, especially in the midst of a rebuild.
'That's what I care about most,' Fernandez said. 'And I believe I'm a different coach than I was Day 1 because I've learned every single day, and I believe all these steps will just make me better, so I'm looking forward to continuing to grow through the summer and excited about what's coming.'
The Nets have an extremely important summer on the horizon. The NBA Draft lottery is on May 12 and the draft itself is on June 25. Unlike last year, Brooklyn owns its first-round pick in a loaded draft class. Its picks are currently projected to be No. 6 overall, No. 18, No. 26 and No. 27 — and it also owns a second-round pick.
'We're not going to know where the lottery is going to fall because that's part of the odds and so forth,' Fernandez said. 'So, you can only control what you can control, and right now that's what we know for sure.'
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Whether all those picks are used remains to be seen, but Brooklyn's roster will look much different in 2025-26 either way. The team also has four restricted free agents in Ziaire Williams, Cam Thomas, Day'Ron Sharpe and Reece Beekman to decide on, as well as two unrestricted free agents in D'Angelo Russell and Trendon Watford.
Drafted rookies will need development. And whoever sticks around will have to find ways to perform better than they did in 2024-25.
'We'll structure a summer where the guys are going to do a great job developing and getting better,' Fernandez said. 'We're going to put in place everything they need to continue to work and get better. We have an important summer league with a lot of the guys who will likely get drafted. But the best thing is, we're in a very good situation, from flexibility to assets to the big, great market we have here. So, it's just getting one percent better each day.'
Until then, the Nets still have three regular-season games left against the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Knicks. Brooklyn has sat its veterans down the stretch, which means young players fighting to prove they belong in the league — such as Beekman, Drew Timmie and Tyson Etienne — will continue to receive ample opportunities.
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For them, there's still plenty to play for.
'I think the opportunities are extremely important, you still have a job to do,' Fernandez said. 'You have to have the right intentions and making mistakes, it's not what matters the most [nor] is it a bad thing as long as you have the right intentions. What we want to accomplish as a group, if you take the right shot and the shot doesn't go in, so be it.
'This is not the end of anything. This is not the end of the season. This is just the next game, the next game going into the most important summer of our lives, into a very important summer to train, to get better and to be able to play the next game. So, nothing stops here. Winning development, winning habits, everything continues for us and that's how we approach it.'