By most estimates, the Brooklyn Nets have played better than expected. After a disastrous start to this season that saw the team begin 1-11, they were 10-11 over their next 21 games before facing the Orlando Magic at the Barclays Center last night (Wednesday). Moreover, the Nets were an encouraging 7-4 in December as the collective of young veterans and rookies have gained traction.
Second-year Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has provided steady leadership to the league’s youngest roster, with nine players age 25 or younger, including five rookies. Fernandez’s growth has mirrored that of his players. “I think that it goes through making mistakes, and I make a lot of mistakes in every game,” Fernandez said prior to the Nets’ 120-96 loss to the Houston Rockets on New Year’s Day. “I have a very good coaching staff that holds me accountable and helps me with that.
“I have to look at myself in the mirror,” he added, “whether I’m trying to put a player in a situation or running a play for [a player], and what side of the floor I run the play for, and how I deliver messages and making guys feel confident. So all those things go through myself getting better every day, and like I said before, accepting that you’re going to make mistakes, but your mistakes have to be honest mistakes because you try to do what is best for the group — but there’s always room to grow, and that is always going to be my mindset.
“…So, owning mistakes is always important, and I’ve learned that from a lot of the coaches that I’ve worked with … and I think that’s important because if you are trying to help hold players accountable, they have to see that you hold yourself accountable.” No player has benefited more from Fernandez’s culture of accountability than Michael Porter Jr. After winning a championship in 2023 with the Denver Nuggets as a starter, the Nets acquired Porter Jr. from the Nuggets last July along with a 2032 unprotected first-round draft pick in exchange for swingman Cameron Johnson.
Porter Jr. is having an All-Star caliber season, averaging per game career highs in points (25.9), rebounds (7.6), and assists (3.4), all while shooting an impressive 49.5% from the field and 40.8% from three. Brooklyn has also lost all six games in which he has missed.
As for the rookies, all five of their 2025 first round picks were averaging at least 15 minutes per game going into last night, led by the No. 8 overall pick, guard Egor (24.4) who had played in 30 of the Nets’ 33 games, starting 23. The Nets will host the Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow, then play three straight road games beginning with the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, followed by the Dallas Mavericks (Monday) and New Orleans Pelicans next Wednesday.