Jordi Fernandez enters its third season as Networks” head coach, but this will be his first chance to really coach, Brian Lewis writes for the New York Post.
The 44-year-old has won a combined 46 games over the past two seasons, although he can hardly be blamed for the team’s struggles as it undergoes a dramatic rebuild. While the Nets don’t plan to be a winning team this season, they will at least try to win more, Lewis wrote.
They will be led by two veteran attack-minded forwards, Michael Porter Jr and Julius Randleboth talked about exceeding expectations next year. Randle is a talented but inconsistent player, and Lewis adds that getting the two-time All-NBA forward to prove himself, as he did with another bad team in the Knicks starting in 2019-20, could help stabilize the team as it searches for its future identity.
Fernandez seems to have built a strong reputation throughout the league despite his team’s performance. This season marks a chance to show what he can do at a slightly higher level.
We have more from across the Atlantic Division:
- The Nix return most of their championship roster this year, with the notable change being the loss of a longtime backup center Mitchell Robinson and veteran supplement Andre Drummond to take his place. Despite Robinson’s value as a rebounder and defender, the frontcourt could be even better this year than last year. Kevin O’Connor writes for Yahoo! Sport. Like Robinson, Drummond is an elite rebounder on offense, and while he’s not as much of a threat as Robinson, he can shoot the ball, opening up the floor for some of the Knicks’ offense. Head coach Mike Brown might as well keep experimenting And Anunoby like little five, or a game Mohammed Diawara as a power forward alongside one of their bigger centre-backs.
- Noah Clowney likely to return to the bench after starting 60 games per Networks last season Lewis writes in a full breakdown of the list for the Post. Entering his fourth season, it’s imperative that he shows growth as a shooter, which is key to his value moving forward. After shooting 36.4% on 1.4 attempts as a 19-year-old rookie, the 6’10 forward shot 33.1% on 5.8 attempts over the past two seasons, lowering his overall field goal percentage to 38.2% over that span.
- Jabari WalkerContract with Art Sixers only has $250K guaranteed out of $2.6M through Jan. 10, which raises the question of whether he can make it to the guarantee date without waivers, Adam Aaronson writes for The Philly Voice. Walker had a strong year for the Sixers last season off the bench, but those opportunities will now be more limited. Proving that he can be a viable option as a backup center and hard-nosed defender could be good for his cause now that the team is thinly trailing Joel Embiidwith Dominic Barlowmore natural forward, Adam Bonoand Ariel Hookporti competing for the role. It will also be important for him to show growth as a shooter.
