Nets' Jordi Fernandez explains challenge of coaching rebuilding team

NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez earned his first head-coaching job two years ago when he signed on to lead a Nets team that is building for the future. Brooklyn chose Fernandez due in part to his background in player development and working with young players, but he explained how the past couple of years have been trying for him as a competitor.

"You don’t know how you’re going to deal with your emotions until you have to go through it. I remember getting the job and some people were like, 'Oh, it's going to be hard. It's not going to be easy'. I always have a positive mindset about it," Fernandez said during his exit interview on Monday when asked about how he's dealt with the losing seasons. The Nets are 46-118 (.280) over the past two seasons amidst the current rebuild.

"I'm like, 'Oh, no. We'll be OK'. It's really hard because you want to go out there and win and a lot of the times you feel like you can beat [the opposing team] and you play well enough," Fernandez continued. "I can give you a million examples, right? Boston [Celtics] overtime game or Orlando [Magic] or the [Los Angeles] Lakers, all these games and you're right there. As a coach, you want to help them take those steps."

Fernandez, 43, began his NBA coaching career in 2016 as an assistant for the Denver Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings before joining the Nets prior to the 2024-25 campaign. After Fernandez joined Brooklyn in April of 2024, the Nets traded to the two months later in July, indicating that the franchise was headed into a full rebuild to maximize their chances of bringing franchise-altering talent.