Jordi Fernandez has More to Prove as Brooklyn Nets Shift Toward Winning

The Nets' coach has exceeded expectations on tanking teams, but his real test begins next season.

Mar 29, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez during a timeout in the first half against the Sacramento Kings at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Brooklyn Nets have higher expectations next season, which also means higher expectations for their head coach. 

After spending the past few seasons in the midst of a rebuild, the Nets appear ready to begin competing for a spot in the postseason again. With midseason additions in Julius Randle, Mikel Brown Jr. and others giving the Nets some more potential star power and better depth, Brooklyn could be a team to watch out for in the East.

Of course, the man tasked with tying everything together and ensuring that Brooklyn can compete with the talent it has is Jordi Fernandez. Entering his third season as the Nets’ head coach, Fernandez has impressed with his performance across his first two seasons as the top guy on an NBA bench.

Despite Brooklyn’s overall performance, Fernandez has always shown some signs that he could lead a team to solid results. After effectively being forced to tank over the past couple of years, Fernandez will finally get the opportunity he’s been waiting for.

While that should add some excitement for Fernandez, it also comes with a bit of pressure. Of course, after the past couple of years, pressure should be a welcome sight for just about everyone in Brooklyn.

Most interestingly, Fernandez will not only be tasked with trying to get the Nets into a position where they can compete for a play-in spot, but he will also be tasked with developing the young talent Brooklyn has added over the past couple of years. Considering most of that young talent was on last season’s 20-win squad, Fernandez will need to find ways to thread the needle of development and competition with that young core.

It would obviously be helpful if Randle or Michael Porter Jr. could be All-Star-level players next season and take some of the burden off the young guys. However, the Nets’ hopes of making the postseason will almost certainly rely upon the ability of the young core to contribute to winning basketball.

So, it will ultimately be up to Fernandez to find the best fits in the lineup and best roles for each player next season. Putting together a puzzle like this won’t be easy, but it’s the job Fernandez signed up for, and he could easily be in the Coach of the Year race if he puts it all together.

It’s impossible to say how next season will go, but either way, it should have Fernandez’s fingerprints all over it.