The Nets had been a very completely different crew once they final confronted the Golden State Warriors in November.
They rode excessive into Chase Middle after beating the Sacramento Kings one evening prior. Dennis Schröder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton had been nonetheless on the roster. And Brooklyn pulled a 128-120 upset behind a 31-point efficiency from Schröder, who was traded to the Warriors in December.
“They beat us in San Francisco a couple of months ago with a great comeback,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr mentioned forward of Thursday’s matchup towards the Nets at Barclays Middle. “I’m so impressed with Jordi. I think he’s crushing the job with a difficult hand to play.”
The Nets have gone 13-30 since. In the meantime, Golden State continues to enhance its playoff positioning after buying and selling for star ahead Jimmy Butler. However in that November assembly, Kerr realized rather a lot about what sort of coach Fernandez is.
Whereas issues could also be tough for Brooklyn within the current, he sees a shiny future, and believes the franchise is in succesful arms.
“Jordi has had to face a lot this year, moves that they’ve made, trying to play a lot of young guys and all that. And he’s got them playing hard. They’re doing a lot of creative stuff. I think Jordi is doing a great job.”
WELCOME HOME
The Nets signed Tyson Etienne to a two-way deal on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Englewood, N.J. native threw on a Brooklyn uniform for the primary time, with loads of family and friends in attendance.
“A lot of gratitude,” Etienne mentioned. “This journey I’ve been on has come with a lot of ups and downs and I’ve been putting a lot of work in for a long time. So, just to get that call and for it to be in Brooklyn where I’m from, New York, just feeling really grateful and excited to be part of the team.”
The 6-2 guard has averaged 20 factors on 50.6/47.5/79 splits with G League affiliate Lengthy Island this season. He additionally leads the G League in 3-pointers made this season with 84.
“They care,” Etienne mentioned of his coaches on Lengthy Island. “You know, they care about your development, athletic performance, skill-based, thinking the game, like, they genuinely care about your development, and they want to see you win, they want to see you succeed in multiple forms. So, I think, just, a lot of people buy into the culture that we’ve built down there and continue to build; me and my teammates continue to work every day in Long Island, and we just continue to get better.”
CLOWNEY UPDATE
Noah Clowney missed his fifteenth straight recreation on Thursday due to a left ankle sprain, however his return may very well be imminent. Chatting with reporters forward of the sport, Fernandez mentioned the second-year ahead participated in his first 5-on-5 scrimmage since re-injuring his ankle in observe earlier than the All-Star break. The crew will replace his standing within the coming days.
