Nets' HC: 'We Have to Focus on Our Own Process'

Last night wasn't a great one for the Brooklyn Nets.

They fell on the road 127-101 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a matchup that turned ugly from the jump.

But buried in the lackluster performance was inspiration — a guide if you will — on how the franchise can navigate its complete overhaul.

Cam Johnson, who returned from a two-game absence to post 15 points on 25 minutes of action, recognized OKC's growth following the contest.

“You’ve got to give them credit. You can tell the way they developed their system, the way they developed their talent and that camaraderie they have as a group where they’re able to keep you on your heels, keep you guessing,” Johnson said via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “And that’s everything we strive to get to. We’ll get there eventually.”

While it was the Philadelphia 76ers coined the term "trust the process" in the early 2010s, the Thunder perfectly exemplified how a rebuild should operate.

From stockpiling draft capital to taking swings on high-upside talent, General Manager Sam Presti has turned a once-Western Conference bottom-feeder into a perennial title-contender.

Through a similar string of moves, Brooklyn's GM, Sean Marks, has the chance to do the same.

“We have to focus on our own process. And that’s a good thing. Sustaining success takes understanding how things go, and when there is adversity is when it’s most important," coach Jordi Fernandez said. "And that’s right there when our guys have been very good, working hard to just being successful along the process. We just started at this point, and we know we will be very good soon enough.”

In addition to seemingly having a superstar in Fernandez at the helm, a young star in Cam Thomas, the most draft choices leaguewide and a projected 65$ million in cap space come this summer, the Nets can easily become the Thunder of the East.

And if this season continues to spiral record-wise, there's a chance a top-five selection in the 2025 NBA Draft joins that list of riches, setting up one of the most anticipated offseasons in Brooklyn yet.

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