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NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have entered into a new era of their franchise as they are moving forward with Jordi Fernandez as the new head coach. One thing that Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks is aware of is that Fernandez will be the fourth head coach that he has hired on a permanent basis since 2016.
“Look, I think every coach you hire, every time you hire a staff member or whatever it may be you hope they’re here for the long term,” Marks said when asked if Fernandez was the right guy for the job given that the Nets want to get back to the postseason as soon as possible. Fernandez’s foundation as a coach began in player development so that seems to be his strength, something that could run counter to trying to win games in the early going.
“You hope you get a partnership and you get to grow with them and stuff,” Marks explained on what the goal is with hiring coaches/staff members. “So, I think there’s context around every hire that’s made, and it suits maybe the roster better than others at certain times, where you are on your timeline.”
Brooklyn is coming off a disappointing 2023-24 season in which the team finished with a 32-50 record despite beginning the year having won 13 of their first 23 games. The Nets were entering their first full season without any of the Big 3 on the roster, but the franchise still had a goal of making the playoffs, a challenge they failed to meet with some embarrassing defeats.
“I think something that separates Jordi from a lot of the candidates that we found that he could look at a developmental roster,” Marks said. “He could do various different pathways. I mean, he’s coached stars before, he’s been the head of director of development before; so as I said, he’s worn many hats and I think there’s no roster that he’s not going to be able to get the respect of those guys.”