ATLANTA — For Jordi Fernandez, Wednesday won’t be the culmination of a journey to his head coaching debut. It’s just another step in an even higher climb.
The Nets regular season opener in Atlanta will be the first as an NBA head coach for Fernandez. And while the Spaniard said it’ll be a night he will remember for the rest of his life, he doesn’t plan for it to be the pinnacle of his career.
That peak is yet to come. The Nets surely hope so.
“An honor, because of the journey, right, and where I come from. But other than that, it’s [on to the] next step,” said the 41-year-old Fernandez. “And I don’t want to stop in my career and then just be happy with it. Like, there’s no reason to just feel good about yourself and that’s it.
“Celebrate or feel proud of it, an honor also to represent my country, culture that I come from … but at the same time, got to move on at some point. My goal is not just to get here but to sustain it and be a head coach for many years, and be a head coach of a winning team for many years, be a head coach of a team that is going to fight for a championship. So, always you’ve got to have new goals in your life.”
The Nets are a long way from contending for a championship after pivoting to a rebuild this offseason, trading Mikal Bridges away to the Knicks.
That has left their two Cams — Thomas and Johnson — as the first and second scoring options. And both have praised the positive impact Fernandez has had already.
“Really good culture,” Thomas said. “It’s really embracing the culture that we’re trying to build as in coming to work every day, playing hard, working hard, and just living with the results. Win or lose, just coming here the same every day, keep the energy up, and everything will fall in line. It’s been great so far.”
Of course, so far is the easy part. Hope comes cheap in training camp.
The sportsbooks have projected the Nets to have the worst record in the league this season, which they’ll open Wednesday against Trae Young and the Hawks in Atlanta.
But while the front office may be eyeing lottery positioning, Fernandez has no interest in piling up Ls on a win-loss ledger he’s worked so hard to get.
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“Losing doesn’t help anyone,” Fernandez told Spanish agency EFE. “What we have to do is look for our own victories and what a victory means to us. But it’s true that competing and improving is undoubtedly a priority for us.”
The Nets will be champing at the bit for a victory in Atlanta, after a notably grueling training camp. And the players could even sense Fernandez’s excitement at the prospect of a win in his head coaching debut.
“Yeah, yeah, his energy is definitely up,” Johnson said. “And I think it’s across the coaching staff, too.”
Wednesday will be Fernandez’s first look at his optimal starting five with Nic Claxton, after the center missed the entire preseason.
But even if the principals change, the principles will stay the same. Fernandez will demand his Nets swing the ball side-to-side, get 3-pointers up and be precise with their cuts. And he’ll be blunt when it’s not done right.
“European coaches are always, always crazy,” admitted German point guard Dennis Schroder. “I like that though … I’m crazy too, so it matches.”
European coaches are known to be no-nonsense, and Fernandez — a native of Badalona — is just the third one to become a head coach in the NBA.
“He’s been direct, that’s a really good observation for it. But that’s what we want as players: Be direct and tell us how it is,” Thomas said. “Whether we like it or not, we can respect it. But he’s really been direct and I respect that about him.”
