Brooklyn Nets' Summer League Approach to Mirror Regular Season Vision

Steve Hetzel looks to begin implementing Jordi Fernandez's philosophy immediately.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

As new Brooklyn Nets' head coach Jordi Fernandez leads Team Canada into the 2024 Paris Olympics, the job of guiding Brooklyn's summer league squad was handed to assistant coach Steve Hetzel.

The two have a history together, as Fernandez was Hetzel's assistant with the G League's Canton Charge prior to the former replacing the latter. Now the two find themselves part of the same coaching staff yet again, this time with a larger purpose: bringing the Nets back to relevancy.

Hetzel is using the summer league opportunity to begin implementing Fernandez's philosophy before the 2024-25 season begins.

"“From our standpoint, as a group, as a coaching staff from Jordi and also the front office, we don’t see our style of play changing necessarily with our roster compared to the summer league,” Hetzel said in an article published by the New York Post. "We want our Brooklyn Nets team to be disruptive, physical and help, and we want to play fast and share the ball."

Brooklyn's offensive playstyle under Fernandez and Hetzel will be perfect for the current roster, as a true star or number one option has yet to reveal itself. As the losses will likely come in bunches, preaching an unselfish style of offense allows for evenly distributed development.

Defensively, the new coaching staff wants to create a nightmare for opposing teams.

"I want to see ball pressure, I want to see it be disruptive, get deflections, and I want them to play for each other on both ends of the floor. I want them to be in the proper help positions," Hetzel said.

The Nets kick off their summer league against the Indiana Pacers in Cox Pavillion today at 8 p.m. EST on NBA TV.

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