Jordi Fernandez Continues to Garner Respect for Strong First Season With Nets

The Brooklyn Nets might not have a competitive team next season, but their leader on the bench has them on the right path.

Over the past few years, things have been a roller coaster in Brooklyn. From Kevin Durant’s foot being too big for a title run to outright tanking just a couple of years later, the Nets haven’t had much stability.

That lack of stability has translated to the front of the bench as well. From Steve Nash to Jacque Vaughn to Kevin Ollie, Brooklyn’s revolving door of coaches was never good for the culture. However, the inconsistencies on the floor and on the bench might have changed altogether when the Nets hired Jordi Fernandez last offseason. Sure, Brooklyn still has plenty of work to go to get back to contention or even being a playoff team, but Sean Marks and company don’t have to worry about finding the right coach, because they already have him.

In CBS Sports’ tier ranking of the top head coaches in the league, Fernandez landed in the fifth tier, which is still good enough for ranking in the top half of the league, earning the No. 15 spot. Although the only season of head coaching on Fernandez’s resume is a 26-win outing with the Nets, Sam Quinn explained exactly why he belongs in the “strong first impressions” tier.

“Speaking of outperforming expectations, Jordi Fernandez singlehandedly ruined Brooklyn's very overt tanking plans,” Quinn wrote. “He was so good in his debut campaign that the Nets had to trade Dennis Schröder on literally the first day Golden State could make the salaries work just to weaken the roster. His absence in Sacramento was acutely felt last season, and while De'Aaron Fox likely forces his way out either way, the bad vibes were hard to miss in the context of the widespread praise Fernandez has earned from players basically everywhere he's been.”

That praise that Quinn mentioned appears to be well-earned based on his first year in Brooklyn. Known best for his defense, Fernandez had no issues getting his squad to buy in last season despite all of the noise about tanking.

While Brooklyn’s roster is likely too bad for Fernandez to “ruin” the tank this year, his impact on the Nets’ rookie class will be seen for years to come. With an ever-changing roster since arriving in Brooklyn, Fernandez has always been up for the challenge. As long as he can continue to take on the challenges thrown his way, Fernandez won’t have any issues climbing those rankings in upcoming years.