Jordi Fernandez got his first opportunity as a lead assistant under Michael Malone with the Denver Nuggets. Two years later, he’ll match up with Malone and Denver during his fourth game as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.
“I learned a lot from him, and obviously the opportunity that I had to come into the league, be on the bench, that he provided me and my family, he meant a lot to us,” Fernandez said of Malone. “I had to work very hard, go through ups and downs… A lot of the things I do on a daily basis, not just drills, but it’s a lot that I’ve learned from him and [Denver’s] coaching staff… Obviously, you learn from different people and then you [become] your own coach.”
After moving from Spain and working as a player development coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Fernandez spent two seasons in Denver. He moved on to become Mike Brown’s lead assistant with the Sacramento Kings and spent time as head coach of the Canadian national team before landing the Nets job.
“Just looking at his entire journey. I first got to know him many years ago in Cleveland when we were both working for Mike Brown, and Mike brought him over there to be like a player development guy,” Malone said. “You just saw his enthusiasm for the game, his passion for the game, and how he worked his way up. How he became a G league head coach for the Cavs. All of his work with the Spanish national team, the Nigerian national Team, now the Canadian national team.
“He has a really unique background and has coached at almost every different level. And obviously, when I had an opening on my staff in Denver, because of our relationship and confidence in him, he came in and did a great job for us and the Nuggets before heading to Sacramento… I’m just really happy for Jordi and his family. I always knew that he’d be a head coach, and I hope they win a lot of games, except tonight.”
Fernandez doesn’t face high expectations during his first season with the Nets, who are expected to be among the league’s worst teams as they position themselves for a top draft pick. However, the first-time NBA head coach hasn’t wasted any time setting a direct, disciplinarian tone in Brooklyn.
Michael Malone offers high praise for Jordi Fernandez’s coaching process
Several Brooklyn veterans described this year’s training camp as the most difficult of their careers. Fernandez called out several Nets individually after a preseason loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
His players have responded to the approach thus far. The Nets were competitive during their first two losses. They thoroughly outhustled the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday to pick up their first win, forcing 18 turnovers while holding Giannis Antetokounmpo to 22 points.
When speaking on Fernandez’s strengths, Malone lauded the Nets head coach’s ability to connect with players.
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“I learned this a long time ago from my father, that as a coach, you can know all the X’s and O’s, you can know the offense and defense, you can draw a play up, but if you don’t have a relationship with your players, none of that really matters,” the Nuggets coach said. “That’s something that stood out to me with Jordi… Yes, we’re teaching and we’re coaching, but he made an effort to have a relationship with our players off the court, as men, as people, and I think that goes a long way with players.”
“It’s not just that they know how much you know as a coach, but they also know how much you care, and I think that allows you to get to an even better place from a relationship standpoint.”
Nets general manager Sean Marks and owner Joe Tsai picked Fernandez over veteran Mike Budenholzer and others to lead Brooklyn’s rebuild. As the Nets begin a new era, the first-year head coach will attempt to lay the foundation for sustainable success this season.
