There are good, bad, and average coaches, but one thing that never changes is how much the context shapes the trajectory of any of them; and obviously, in the case of Jordi Fernández and the Brooklyn Nets, it wouldn’t be different.
When the Spanish coach took charge of the team in 2024, his early steps at the helm were notable. Despite having a roster that ranked among the league’s worst, by late November he held a 9-10 record. Everything seemed to be going well, perhaps a little too well…
In a team whose sole objective was to rebuild —that summer of 2024 saw Mikal Bridges traded to the Knicks— being good was a bad thing. They needed to lose games, they had to bolster their chances of landing the best possible pick in the draft.
That was the mindset, and thus on December 15 the trade of Dennis Schroder to the Warriors occurred. The German guard was the on-court leader of the system imposed by Jordi Fernández. He logged 33.6 minutes, averaging 18.4 points… One could say Brooklyn traded away its best player because they weren’t interested in winning, but in accumulating assets. And if there were doubts, Dorian Finney-Smith was also out two weeks later…
One could argue that the team did what it had to do, but clearly it did absolutely nothing to help Jordi. For the rest of the season he compiled a 17-46 record and finished with 26 wins. In 2025-26, with a very modest roster, they were only 20…
Jordi Fernández and ‘Groundhog Day’
The Nets haven’t found their footing since deciding to stop winning. No one knows how that 2024-25 season would have ended, but it’s evident that losing on purpose doesn’t guarantee that when you decide to start winning a few games you will manage to do so.
Already in the present, in the 2026-27 season, there was an expectation that with Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. on the roster there might be a chance to improve or to compete to a point. Not only is that not the case —1-6 and last in the Eastern Conference—, but what is being discussed (according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report) is receiving good offers for both to acquire more assets.
Jordi Fernández could be a superb coach (or not), but what’s certain is that he would not be the first to, even while succeeding, become a victim of a management that marks his career forever. We hope that isn’t the case.
