Jordi Fernandez could also be getting into his first season as an NBA head coach, however he has no downside calling it like he sees it. After the Brooklyn Nets’ 117-95 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, Fernandez referred to as out the place he thought particular person gamers, whether or not youthful or veteran, had failed.
With Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe and Ben Simmons out, second-year large man Noah Clowney confronted a troublesome check towards 76ers middle Andre Drummond. Whereas Clowney dropped over 50 kilos within the match, his head coach was not pleased together with his combat.
“I feel he didn’t combat onerous sufficient,” Fernandez mentioned. “Clearly, it’s an amazing studying expertise for everybody. There are clearly technicalities, like the way you introduce somebody, the way you kick them out. It is positively a problem. However I might have preferred to see a greater combat.
“And it’s not simply Noah, it’s everybody.” I can toe the road with Keon [Johnson]Ziaire [Williams]everybody, the starters. Sooner or later, it is not about you. It is about us. And if we do not play onerous as a workforce, we’re simply not ok [to win].”
Clowney is among the many Nets’ promising younger prospects after deciding on him twenty first within the 2023 draft. He initiatives as an influence ahead, however Fernandez and common supervisor Sean Marks have mentioned they will even use him at middle.
Jordi Fernandez criticism sparks trustworthy response from Nets
The Alabama product completed the sport with 11 factors, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 5-of-8 taking pictures. Nevertheless, he struggled to anchor Brooklyn’s protection, typically getting pushed out of his spot as Philadelphia scored 48 factors within the paint.
Though the 20-year-old (6-foot-9, 230 kilos) has added some muscle this offseason, he nonetheless has a strategy to go earlier than he can match the physique of the league’s high facilities. He admitted as a lot when requested about criticism of his head coach.
“The identical factor that Jordi tells you, that’s what he’s going to inform us,” Clowney mentioned. “It’s a must to develop with every match. You possibly can take it one in every of two methods… At this degree, you are both going to enhance and study from it, or you are going to go the opposite manner.
Along with their gentle inside protection, the Nets have been sloppy offensively. They turned the ball over 20 instances, giving Philadelphia a 28-11 level benefit.
With Ben Simmons sidelined, Fernandez held veteran level guard Dennis Schdoer answerable for setting a lackadaisical tone.
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“Clearly, we went from two leaders to only one. It exhibits how we took care of the ball,” the coach mentioned. “However the actuality is our true level guard, Dennis, had 5 turnovers… We will not enable him to play like that, as a result of he is a really, superb level guard, he is a common on the bottom, he does the best issues so he should be higher.
“Including one other level guard will assist us, however the actuality is that 20 turnovers for 31 factors is unacceptable. When turnovers occur, you continue to must hold taking part in. You continue to must cease. And clearly in that second half, I really feel like our workforce – and I did not watch the sport – however I really feel like we did not play as onerous as we may, like we We did it within the first two video games. And that is what I informed the blokes is we’ve got larger requirements on how we play and the way we compete. This isn’t the efficiency we wish to have.
Fernandez will not be in an optimum scenario for his first head teaching job. The Nets are anticipated to be among the many worst groups within the NBA as they hunch within the first 12 months of rebuilding. Whereas outdoors expectations are traditionally low, Fernandez’s stay excessive as he makes an attempt to domesticate successful habits.
The Nets will end the preseason on Friday towards the Toronto Raptors. Their first actual check will come after they open the common season on October 23 towards the Atlanta Hawks.
