OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The identical day Robert Saleh ended his tenure as a New York coach, Jordi Fernandez began his.
Fernandez made his NBA head teaching debut within the Nets’ 115-106 preseason opening loss to the Clippers earlier than a sellout crowd at Frontwave Enviornment that included group proprietor Joe Tsai and spouse Clara Wu Tsai.
Each preseason exhibition comes with the general public service reminder that outcomes imply little, even much less so with the Nets minus beginning middle Day’Ron Sharpe and 4 reserves, whereas the Clippers performed sans star Kawhi Leonard.
However there have been clear indicators of how Fernandez needs to play — and the way the Nets might want to play.
Fernandez talks about enjoying quick, and the Nets had 27 quick break factors. They may want that tempo, as a result of they shot 11-of-13 in transition however a horrid 26-of-73 — or .356 — after they didn’t get to run.
And Fernandez has harped on competitiveness and getting ‘one % higher day-after-day.’ They didn’t present a lot defensive combat early in coughing up the primary 12 factors and falling behind by 18, however did get higher because the evening went on.
“Unhealthy begin. Didn’t actually really feel snug. Didn’t get no stops,” Dennis Schroder stated. “We bought some good photographs: Didn’t make them. However we settled in, had an excellent second quarter. … Then within the fourth we had been struggling, didn’t get sufficient stops, didn’t get sufficient deflections. It’s a great first sport, and we’ve bought to get again to work.”
The following season or two goes to be about attending to work and getting higher.
“That is our first sport,” Fernandez stated. “The start was rocky. After which as soon as we bought a greater really feel for it and we bought a number of reps to run up and down, it was so much higher. I just like the togetherness, how we shared the ball. We took the fitting photographs.
“As soon as we bought into the sport, I used to be pleased with the way in which our first and second unit performed. The second half, so far as exercise, we charted our deflections. We did a very good job within the first half; within the second it was means worse. Our exercise died down in that second half. So we’ve bought to be higher.”
Cam Thomas had 12 factors, and Keon Johnson scored 14 off the bench.
However seeing them fall to their former star James Harden — who had all 14 of his factors within the first half and sat the second — was sobering, if not galling.
The Nets deliberate to start out Ben Simmons and Schroder as double level guards, however the former was basically compelled into enjoying middle within the absence of each Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe.
Schroder had 10 factors and 5 assists, whereas Simmons — in his first sport since being shut down with a again damage that required one other surgical procedure — was quiet within the first quarter earlier than getting on the ball extra within the second.
However when he pushed the tempo his teammates typically lagged behind, one other factor Fernandez will look to repair.
“Yeah we undoubtedly bought to be shot-ready within the corners. And we’ll get there. It’s the primary sport. Guys try to determine one another out, so we’ll get there,” stated Ziaire Williams, who had 10 factors.
“The largest factor is simply all people being dedicated and trusting the teaching workers and preserve trusting it,” Schroder stated. “Ben is fairly quick when he’s bought the ball, so we bought to maintain up and getting within the corners so he can discover us for open 3s as a result of he attracts plenty of consideration when he goes to the basket.”
The beginning was ugly.
The Nets coughed up the primary 12 factors of the sport. Harden’s 3 made it 9-0, and Terance Mann free throw left them in a 12-0 gap simply 2:49 into the sport.
The Nets didn’t get on the board till Simmons discovered Dorian Finney-Smith for a thunderous dunk with 8:56 left within the first.
They trailed by as a lot as 18, at 23-5 on a Norman Powell jumper and 26-8 moments later after a Mann pullup.
Down 40-29 following Amir Coffey’s hook shot, the Nets reeled off a 16-1 run to get again into the sport. Cam Johnson capped the run for a 45-42 edge.
However as soon as each groups went deep into their benches, the Nets coughed up a 21-4 run that spanned the third and fourth.
