Main Takeaways from Nets GM Sean Marks and Head Coach Jordi Fernández’s Preseason Press Conference

Marks and Fernández provided insight into the first season of Brooklyn’s full rebuild.

Aug 2, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez looks on at halftime against Spain in a men’s group A basketball game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks and new head coach Jordi Fernández sat down for a preseason press conference on Thursday.

Over half an hour, the Nets’ leaders discussed everything from the team’s identity going forward to whether plans exist for certain players. Brooklyn’s training camp begins Oct. 1 in New York, with the first preseason game scheduled for Oct. 8 in San Diego against the LA Clippers.

Here are the main takeaways from Marks’ and Fernández’s presser.

The Start of the Rebuild

Marks and Fernández both stressed that their job this season is to help develop a culture and identity for what will effectively be a fresh start for the Nets.

“From the front office side, we’re looking at it like, ‘Who are the next Nets?’” Marks said. “Who do we look at and say, ‘This person is part of this rebuild. This person’s on the team for the next two, three years.’” 

At the same time, the Nets GM mentioned that the organization is not looking to put a timeline on this rebuild. A big part of that is the league’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which puts limits on teams that previously did not exist.

“The landscape of the league is that nobody has gone through this before,” Marks added. “30 teams have inherited this new CBA and we’re all trying to figure out how we’re going to react to it.” 

Must-haves

Fernández, the new head coach, addressed what he will be looking for from his new team at the start of the season. On defense, the 41-year-old Spaniard is placing a focus on ball pressure, physicality, communication, and motor. 

"You can put stats to all that,” Fernández said. “What's your ball pressure percentage? How you defend without fouling. How many verticalities do you have? [Drawing] charges, so on, so forth."

Offensively, Fernández pointed to his past with Team Canada and the Denver Nuggets, saying that teams with ball movement and body teams are harder to guard. Nic Claxton, acting as more of a playmaking hub, will be an important part of that. 

Fernández also emphasized taking good shots and the process that goes into that, rather than only whether this young team is scoring or not. In terms of rotations and minutes for players, he offered no guarantees to anyone — young prospects or vets.

"I want everybody to work, show up, get 1% better every day and compete,” Fernández said.

Ben Simmons

Nets point guard Ben Simmons is a “full go” for training camp, per Sean Marks, with the Nets GM adding that this will be a big year for the 28-year-old Australian following his back injuries. Fernández raved about Simmons’ grab-and-go ability in the open court and how he can generate efficient looks for his teammates.

“He’s one of the best playmakers to be able to do that, from rebounding to pushing to throwing the ball ahead,” Fernández said. “His paint touches are unbelievable. He’s big — built like a truck — can get into the paint and spray [the ball], get to the rim.”

However, the Nets head coach also focused on Simmons’ health being the main priority. Fernández spent some time with Simmons this summer as he rehabbed.

Second Chances

While touching on Killian Hayes and Ziaire Williams, Marks opened a window into how the Nets are evaluating the “low-risk, high-reward” prospects who have recently arrived in Brooklyn.

“I’m a big proponent that this is not like a one-and-done,” Marks said about giving players second or third chances.

With Williams, Marks specifically mentioned that the Nets had maintained interest in the former Stanford wing ever since his draft workouts. He praised Williams’ intangibles, size and length, while also adding that he’s already causing some buzz in pre-training camp pickup games.

“When camp starts and coaches really get to coach [Ziaire], that’s exciting for me,” Marks said. “He has things that you can’t teach.”

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