The 2024 Summer Olympics offered Nets fans a different look at first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez and veteran point guard Dennis Schröder. Fernandez coached a talented Canadian team on the international stage while Schröder, who starred for Germany, finished his tremendous run in Paris one win shy of a bronze medal.
Fernandez’s long-term future with the franchise is much clearer compared to Schröder’s, especially as the Nets shift their focus toward younger talent. But Schröder remains on the roster, for now, and will likely be the team’s top point guard throughout training camp ahead of Ben Simmons, Dennis Smith Jr. (should he re-sign) and former lottery pick Killian Hayes, who will compete for a roster spot on a one-year deal.
Fernandez and Schröder will be looking to make a significant impact for the rebuilding Nets next season, even if Brooklyn ultimately decides to tank next season to better its draft position. Perhaps the Summer Olympics will serve as a preview of what comes next for both of them.
Fernandez has been back with the Nets for a while now after Team Canada’s early Olympic exit against France in the tournament quarterfinals. Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel led summer practices in his absence.
Canada, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray and Dillon Brooks, were expected to compete for a gold medal. However, the Americans claimed their fifth straight in the end without having to face them in the gold medal game. Fernandez took full responsibility for Canada’s struggles on the other side of the bracket.
“I will always support my players,” Fernandez said after Canada’s loss to France. “Personally, I put this one on me because I should have helped them better. Better with two ball handlers. Better with getting better shots. Better with playing with better pace. And I couldn’t find a way. It starts with me, then we’ll come back strong.”
It was a disappointing result for Fernandez and company, for sure, but the Nets head coach handled defeat with grace. His ability to handle adversity is part of why Brooklyn hired him in the first place. Canada fell short of expectations, but the team still went 3-1 in Paris and finished in fifth place, its highest finish since the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
We do not know whether Fernandez will return to coach Canada in the 2028 Olympics, but steady progress was made with him at the helm. Nets fans are hoping for similar results with Fernandez now leading the franchise into the future. And with the 2024 Olympics now behind him, Fernandez can continue to make his mark in Brooklyn, with no distractions, as the summer wraps up.
“I hope that people were proud of us [and] the way we played throughout the tournament,” Fernandez said. “We wanted to give them more. I think that’s what Canadian basketball deserves. There’s. great tradition.”
Schröder, who immediately made his presence felt after the Nets acquired him at last season’s trade deadline in February, was named to the 2024 Olympics All-Star Five, along with LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokić, after averaging 17.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game in Paris.
The 30-year-old proved that he can still be a high-impact player at any level, and if the Nets choose to retain him throughout the 2024-25 season, they should be in great shape at the point guard position. Schröder averaged 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists across 29 games with Brooklyn last season while shooting 42.4% from the field and 41.2% from 3-point range.
However, Schröder’s stellar summer made a lot of noise. Contending NBA teams looking to add depth at point guard will almost certainly inquire about his services at some point. But if it were up to Schröder, he would remain a Net for the foreseeable future.
The German floor general made his desire to be part of the eventual solution in Brooklyn known in a recent interview with Andscape’s Marc Spears. He remains under contract for just over $13 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
“I want to be in Brooklyn long-term,” Schröder said. “Hopefully that works out. I want to be a veteran who shows the young people the way and how we should play and how we play as a team. I understand that the NBA is always more individual, but I want to make one team like we had in Atlanta where it was about just winning and really not [caring] who scores.”
