Brooklyn Nets HC Jordi Fernández After Orlando Loss: ‘I Just Don’t Ever Want My Team to Look Like This'

Following the Brooklyn Nets’ 21-point collapse against the Orlando Magic, head coach Jordi Fernández was crystal clear about his disappointment.

“We just needed one more grown-up to bring the guys together and calm everybody down and execute on the defensive end and win the game, and it didn’t happen,” Fernández said. “I put that on all the guys on our team that are over 23 years old. Those are our grown-ups.”

Of the Nets’ closers on Sunday, Ben Simmons is 28 years old and Nic Claxton is 25. Jalen Wilson is 24, albeit in only his second NBA season. Cam Johnson, also 28, started the game but was ruled out of the fourth quarter due to left hip soreness.

“In the fourth, all the rebounding, the physicality, the execution of coverages … I can go on and on and on, and that didn’t happen, and that’s how you lose the game,” Fernández elaborated. “You thought that you won it, and that’s very immature.”

Orlando rallied down double-digits to sweep the season series against Brooklyn. Cole Anthony capped off the comeback win with 1.3 seconds left.

Fernandez added: “We’re in a process here. We are going to build something special, and to be part of it, it has got to come with consistency, and it has got to come with fight and competitiveness and togetherness. We didn’t show it, so congrats to them, and very disappointed in my guys. Extremely disappointed.”

This was the Nets’ first game without Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton on the roster. The duo was traded early on Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers for D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks. Fernández was asked about Finney-Smith after the Orlando game.

“If we would’ve had that maturity and that toughness, we close this game,” he said. “The same when Dennis [Schröder] left. There’s gonna be minutes to play. There’s gonna be assists. There’s gonna be threes. There’s gonna be all this stuff that somebody else has to take. Today was an example. We needed that person to do it on the court, to bring everybody together and that person was not there.”

The Nets are now 12-20 this season, and 3-7 over their last ten games. The team is back in action on Wednesday, kicking off 2025 with an away game against the Toronto Raptors. Fernández will be looking for a response from his squad.

“It hurts me because I just don’t ever want my team to look like this,” he said.

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