Jordi Fernandez has had himself fairly per week.
The Nets traveled to Sacramento on Sunday and beat the Kings, led by Fernandez’s longtime mentor, Mike Brown. On Monday, they rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat a more healthy Warriors group in San Francisco with out Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney and Dorian Finney-Smith. Golden State entered the evening because the No. 1 group within the Western Convention.
Nonetheless, Brooklyn saved the perfect efficiency of its 3-1 street journey for final. Wednesday in Phoenix, with out Claxton, Clowney, Jalen Wilson and Cam Thomas, Fernandez’s shorthanded squad took down Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the Suns 127-117. Two-way participant Tyrese Martin exploded for a career-high 30 factors off the bench.
The Nets returned to Barclays Heart for Friday’s sport towards Orlando 9-10 on the season, good for eighth place within the Jap Convention, and 6-1 towards Western Convention groups. They had been on a season-best three-game successful streak and had received 4 of 5.
Take note, the over/beneath line for Brooklyn’s projected win whole getting into 2024-25 was set at 19.5 throughout all main sports activities books. This was speculated to be a misplaced season. They had been anticipated to tank for increased draft place in a loaded 2025 class, not flirt with .500 because the calendar turns to December.
However Fernandez’s group couldn’t care much less about exterior expectations. The camaraderie within the locker room is actual. Their effort on the courtroom has been unmatched, and every time their season has been anticipated to take a flip for the worst, they’ve managed to get higher. Their resilience has been spectacular to look at. It begins with their head coach.
“I think we’re coming together. We’re valuing the same things,” Fernandez stated. “At the beginning you hear it, but you start buying into it when you see it, and that’s the most important thing.”
Sufficient time has handed. The imaginative and prescient ought to be clear now.
The Nets have 4 first-round picks and two second-round picks within the 2025 NBA Draft. Basic supervisor Sean Marks might simply throw within the towel on this season and look towards the long run. Nonetheless, establishing a aggressive, successful tradition has apparently taken priority. Whereas there may be nonetheless a whole lot of season left, it seems that tanking is now not part of the group’s plans. Possibly it by no means was.
“People can say we’re in a rebuilding stage and things like that, but as players and competitors, you don’t really want to accept losing,” Martin stated. “Even in life, you want to win in everything you do… I think there’s a lot of those guys in the locker room and we all feel that way.”
Brooklyn performs with excessive ranges of power and enthusiasm every evening. Guys resembling Martin, Ziaire Williams, Jalen Wilson and Keon Johnson have stepped up as accidents proceed to deplete the roster. Veterans resembling Cam Johnson, Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith are having profession years regardless of the commerce rumors that proceed to observe them. These aren’t the qualities of a dropping franchise. These are the constructing blocks of one thing particular.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries, unfortunate for our team, but I feel like everybody has stepped up in different moments,” Martin stated. “Guys are stepping up when their number is called. We’ve been doing it, and I hope we keep doing it.”
Brooklyn has been spectacular statistically as nicely.
The Nets have had 4 completely different gamers rating not less than 30 factors over their final 4 video games: Johnson, Thomas, Schröder then Martin. Their offensive ranking of 115.5 ranks eighth within the league getting into Friday’s video games. Solely Boston (56.3%) and Charlotte (48.8%) have tried a better share of their pictures from 3-point vary this season, and Brooklyn leads the league share sensible (42.2%) over its final 10 video games. Over the group’s final three appearances, the bench can be averaging 43.3 factors per sport.
“Everybody can hoop. Everybody can play,” Trendon Watford stated. ” It’s a next-man-up mentality.”
