There's a Different Feeling This Season From Nets Fans Regarding Jordi Fernandez

Brooklyn's head coach was revered last season for overachieving. This season, the Nets are losing a lot, but there's a different reason why some fans are upset.

Nov 18, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez talks to forward Noah Clowney (21) as he coaches against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

No one is upset that the Brooklyn Nets are off to a 2-12 start this season. It was expected that they'd lose plenty of games, and in many cases, that's what is needed, considering they're gunning for a top draft pick in 2026.

The Nets are investing in youth after drafting a league-record five first-round picks this year. The focus is development, and with that comes growing pains. Brooklyn's wins are fun despite coming few and far between, but there are clear goals.

After last season, most fans believed that head coach Jordi Fernandez was the man to lead the Nets into the future after slightly overachieving. Expected to be in the spot they're in now, Brooklyn finished 12th in the Eastern Conference at 26-56, surpassing its win total by a solid margin. There was optimism heading into this season.

However, at the moment, the feeling has changed among many fans. There's one big issue that people have with Fernandez's handling of the team thus far, and it has nothing to do with losing.

On Tuesday night, the Nets suffered an expected 113-99 loss to the Boston Celtics. Rookie Egor Demin logged 23 minutes, putting up an efficient 12 points, three rebounds and four assists on 4-of-10 shooting.

What's damning is that the lottery pick totaled just eight minutes in the second half. Trailing by just six points in the third quarter, he was pulled with eight minutes left. He re-entered with eight minutes to go in the game.

Erik Slater of ClutchPoints was asked about the late-game benching, and Fernandez's answer was perplexing. He said he was happy with Demin's mistakes, but it still begs the question of why he'd go with older guys such as Tyrese Martin and Ziaire Williams rather than letting the rookies play in different situations.

It's not just Demin who suffers from a lack of playing time. Drake Powell, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf have bounced back and forth from the Nets and their G League affiliate in Long Island. They've performed well in the NBA's minor league, but they don't play much when called up.

Powell has managed to stand out a bit with 18.6 minutes per game, plugged in for defensive purposes. Outside of him and Demin, no rookie in Brooklyn is getting more than 14 minutes per game.

Wolf and Traore have barely received opportunities with the team. They're averaging 2.7 and 8.8 minutes, and against the Celtics, they each played two minutes.

Trying to be competitive and win games would justify Brooklyn's handling of playing time, but that clearly isn't the goal. Fans aren't begging for Fernandez to play Demin and the rookies the entire game, but there should at least be more opportunities for younger players in the second half.

Right now, Demin is eighth on the Nets and 11th among rookies in minutes per game (20.7). As the No. 8 pick, that number isn't shocking, but fans would like to see more opportunities thrown his way, especially toward the end of games. If Fernandez continues to bench him and the other youngsters in the second half, more people could change their view of the head coach.