It was the youth of the Nets‘ roster that excited Jordi Fernandez the most. At the time of his hire, it featured talented players such as Cam Thomas, Noah Clowney, Jalen Wilson and Dariq Whitehead. All 23 years old or younger. All with untapped potential.
“Like everybody says, we want to be top-10 offensively, top-10 defensively,” Fernandez told reporters during his introductory news conference on Wednesday. “With the roster we have, we’ll be able to do that.”
Fernandez, who was officially introduced as the Nets’ next head coach on Wednesday, views the core of the current roster as a group he can grow with for years to come. And because of Fernandez’s ability to build meaningful relationships and his extensive background in player development, general manager Sean Marks believes he is the right coach to get the most out of them.
The Spaniard just became the fifth-youngest head coach in the NBA at 41-years-old and the third European head coach in NBA history. That helps him stand out. And oftentimes, young players want to see something fresh and exciting in their head coach.
“The stories that we heard about Jordi just sort of resonated with us, on and off the court, like who he is as a person. Then you get to meet him and then you do the Zoom calls, and then you do the group chats and so forth, and you understand, ‘Wow, this guy really is authentic’,” Marks said.
“That is who he is. And I think who you guys saw on stage today is just who Jordy is. Very calm, very poised, direct, but has a massive care factor. And I think that’s really important when you’re looking for somebody who can get the most out of a group of young men, group of players.”
The Nets’ roster will likely look much different by the time training camp rolls around, but Fernandez understands that. And as promising as youngsters such as Thomas, Clowney, Wilson and Whitehead are, when a team is coming off a 50-loss season, really no one on the roster is safe, and Marks made that clear during Fernandez’s interview process.
“Yeah, we were brutally upfront with each other,” Marks said. “We know the roster is going to change and tweak; they always do and so forth. But I think we’re in complete alignment with how we’re going to continue to build this thing and who we’re going to build with.”
Having Nic Claxton back in the fold would help Fernandez immensely in his inaugural season. The center, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, averaged 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 blocks this season and is expected to command a new deal that pays around $18-20 million per year.
Claxton told reporters at exit interviews earlier in the month that he will take time to weigh his options. Marks made it known on Wednesday that re-signing Claxton is currently the Nets’ top priority. And Fernandez sees untapped potential in the 25-year-old, too.
In Claxton, the Spaniard envisions a future Defensive Player of the Year.
“For us, he’s a priority this summer, and the way we can play through him,” Fernandez said. “Obviously he’s great in pick and roll, he’s quick to the rim, he puts pressure on the rim, but also his ability to play the dribble-handoff game which lately in the NBA is a style that is very efficient. And it helps with ball movement. So, when everybody touches the ball and everybody’s involved, everybody’s happier. You’re harder to guard because there’s more — you’re not that predictable to just play pick-and-roll. So, he fits perfectly, what we want to do moving forward.”
Of course, players will not develop properly without the right coaching staff in place, beyond Fernandez. As of Wednesday, Fernandez’s only reported assistant hire was Steve Hetzel, who had served on Chauncy Billups‘ staff with the Portland Trail Blazers for the past three years.
Assistants Will Weaver and Corey Vinson were present at Fernandez’s introductory news conference on Wednesday, but it is unknown at this time whether them — or anyone else from the old regime — will be retained by Fernandez as he builds out the rest of his staff.
“I think that’s something that Jodi’s working through now, and who is he going to bring in,” Marks said. “And I think he’s being very reflective on looking at where’s areas that I need help on? Where can I improve and who can help me do that? And I think with any good coach or any good leader, that’s what they should be doing, is hiring for areas where maybe you’re not so good at or not astute at or you don’t want to do, right?
“For a guy like Jordi, he has to be able to look at himself and say, OK, what do I need? Where are my faults? Where am I not quite up to speed here? Does that mean I need an ex-head coach on my staff? If so, great. If it’s not, then I need to focus on player development.”
