Brooklyn Nets HC Jordi Fernández Praises Nic Claxton and Tyrese Martin

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernández praised Nic Claxton and Tyrese Martin following his team’s last game against the Golden State Warriors.

After a slow start to the season, Claxton has been a standout for the Nets over the last few weeks. He finished with eight points, nine rebounds and a season-high 10 assists against the Warriors on Thursday night.

“I think he played the simple game,” Fernández said. “Not all the games are the same. There's some games that the team's gonna need you to score more because of how [he] puts pressure on the rim or he does a good job in transition to finish. He was that guy finding his teammates.”

Fernández also complimented Claxton's assist-to-turnover ratio — he only lost the ball twice — and said he was proud of his big. The Nets’ bench boss sees a triple-double for Claxton in the future.

Tyrese Martin had 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting off the bench. The Nets swingman started the season on an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, worked his way up to a two-way and is now on a standard NBA contract. Fernández lauded Martin’s consistency post-game.

Brooklyn’s head coach said: “He’s a true pro. I play him off the ball, he plays well. Play him at the point guard, he does his best, and he’s getting better. Defensively, he’s on point. He knows coverages, he knows everything.”

Fernández also pointed to Martin’s attitude as a factor for his success. With the Nets rebuilding, having the right people in the building is crucial while a new team culture takes shape. The 26-year-old is averaging 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 44 games this season.

“He shows up and works every day with a good attitude, and he’s a great teammate,” Fernández said. “That’s what we want from everybody, but it’s not that easy to do it. He’s doing it consistently and that’s why he deserves all those good things that he’s doing and that are coming his way.”

The Nets’ next game is on the road against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night. The Hornets will be completing the second night of a back-to-back after a one-point loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Fernández will be hoping to see the same defense that he enjoyed from the Nets in the first half against the Warriors, especially if it gets his team out in early offense.

“Creating stops and then being able to run - this way, you don't have to worry about what plays you're running,” he said. “You're just getting stops and running the other way, and then the shots happen organically, and I thought that was the beauty of that that first quarter.”

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