Coach Fernández Talks 2025 Draft Class, Developing Roster & Offseason | ESPN Summer League

Coach Fernández Talks 2025 Draft Class, Developing Roster & Offseason | ESPN Summer League

WORKED OUT ALL THE TECH FOR YOU NOW. SO WE’RE GOOD TO GO. WELCOME BACK TO SUMMER LEAGUE. IT’S A DIFFERENT KIND OF SUMMER LEAGUE WITH ALL THIS YOUTH OUT THERE ON THE FLOOR. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT SO FAR THROUGH THESE THREE QUARTERS? >> YEAH. THANKS FOR. >> HAVING ME. VERY EXCITING. VERY EXCITING TO SEE THESE FOUR GUYS RIGHT NOW PLAYING IN. YOU KNOW, THEY’VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD AND WE BELIEVE THEY’LL BE PART OF OUR CLUB FOR A LONG TIME. SO THAT’S THEIR FIRST GAME. AND THEY’RE DOING A GREAT JOB AT COMPETING AT A HIGH LEVEL. >> I ALMOST LOOK AT THOSE GUYS AND OBVIOUSLY DRAKE, PART OF THAT IS THE FIFTH GUY AS LIKE A FRESHMAN CLASS IN COLLEGE, CORRECT? YEAH. HOW ARE YOU? HOW DIFFERENT WILL IT BE IN TERMS OF BRINGING THEM ALONG THAN, SAY, A NORMAL, SAY, 1 OR 2 MAN DRAFT? >> IT’S A GOOD QUESTION. I THINK WE’LL HAVE TO LEARN IT, YOU KNOW, AS WE GO, BECAUSE THEY ALL HAVE TO THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO EARN IT. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK HARD, WHICH THEY’RE DOING. AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE OUT THERE, AND WE’LL WE’LL THROW THEM INTO THE FIRE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE BELIEVE THAT THESE GUYS CAN PLAY IN THIS LEAGUE FOR A LONG TIME. >> TAKE THEM ONE BY ONE SINCE WE HAVE THEM ALL OUT THERE. YEAGER LET’S START WITH HIM. THE HIGHEST OF YOUR DRAFT CHOICES. WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN FROM HIM SO FAR IN VERY LIMITED TIME? >> YEAH. >> GREAT POSITIONAL SIZE YOU. >> GUYS SAW JUST. >> MADE A THREE. HE SEES THE FLOOR VERY WELL. HE CAN PASS OVER THE TOP. SO I LIKE HIS SIZE ON BOTH ENDS OF THE FLOOR. AND HE’S JUST SHOWING IT. >> YEAH MAN. YOU GO RIGHT DOWN THE ROSTER I MEAN LIKE DANNY WOLF AT 610 I MEAN YOU’RE PUTTING HIM IN BALL SCREENS. HE’S ACTUALLY BEEN A SCREENER MORE THAN YOU COULD ACTUALLY USE HIM. >> AS A. >> BALL HANDLER. THE BALL HANDLER LIKE HE DID IN MICHIGAN. >> YEAH. AND YOU KNOW, WE BELIEVE HE’LL HE’LL DO HE CAN DO IT WITH SMALL SETTING PICK AND ROLLS ALSO WITH THE CENTER, LIKE YOU SAID, LIKE HE DID IN MICHIGAN. AND DANNY CAN PLAY THE OPEN FLOOR. HE HAD A COUPLE OF TURNOVERS HERE. BUT YOU KNOW THAT’S HOW YOU LEARN. >> SURE. >> DOLAN TRAORE FEELS LIKE PRESEASON WAY BACK WHEN THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT TOP TEN. THERE WERE SOME INCONSISTENCIES THERE. IT FEELS LIKE HE GOT A REALLY, REALLY GOOD VALUE. A QUICK GUY FOR TRAORE. >> YEAH HE’S HE’S A DEFINITION OF SPEED. AND WE BELIEVE HE’S GOING TO HELP US WITH THAT. THAT PACE AND THE FULL COURT. HE CAN REALLY TOUCH THE PAINT. AND HE’S BEEN PLAYING AGAINST GROWN MEN NOW FOR A FEW YEARS, AND I THINK THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. AND HE’S SHOWING IT HERE RIGHT. LIKE HE TOUCHES THE PAINT TO GET TO THE RIM OR SPRAY FOR HIS TEAMMATES. SO WE WILL NEED THAT AT THAT PACE AND HE’LL MAKE AN IMPACT FOR SURE. >> HAS DRAKE BEEN ABLE TO WORK OUT WITH YOU GUYS? I KNOW HE’S HE’S BANGED UP RIGHT NOW. DRAKE POWELL IS HE. >> YEAH HE’S HE’S STARTING TO PROGRESS. AND WE HAVE A PLAN FOR HIM OBVIOUSLY AS YOU GUYS KNOW WITH THE TRADE DELAYED EVERYTHING. SO YOU KNOW THESE GUYS WENT THROUGH A LOT WITH ALL THEIR WORKOUTS. YOU GUYS KNOW HOW HARD THAT IS AND THEIR BODIES. AND WE WANTED TO BE CAUTIOUS. >> BEN WE HAD MENTIONED HIM YET RIGHT 19 YEARS OF AGE AND ALREADY SO MUCH EXPERIENCE. HE STARTED SO YOUNG PLAYING AGAINST PROFESSIONALS. >> YEAH BEN PLAYS LIKE A BEN PLAYS LIKE A GROWN MAN. AND YOU SEE HERE ALWAYS UNDER CONTROL. SIZE ON BOTH ENDS AS WELL. AND PLAYMAKING. ALL OUR GUYS CAN REALLY PASS THE BALL AND PLAY MAKE. AND THAT’S WHAT’S EXCITING FOR ME AS A HEAD COACH. >> ERIC REYNOLDS SCORED ABOUT 2400 POINTS IN COLLEGE AT SAINT JOE’S, AND HE JUST SCORED HIS FIRST TWO POINTS FOR THE NETS. >> HE’S GOING TO SAY I TOOK MY EYE OFF. >> WE APPRECIATE THAT. >> YOU GUYS SAY THANKS. >> HEY, LET’S TAKE A LOOK. WE WERE SITTING HERE TALKING. HERE’S HOW IT ALL. >> CONTROL TAP. >> WRONG ONE. >> AND THE REALITY IS IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS HAPPENED. >> SO IT’S SO HARD. PEOPLE JUST IN GENERAL SUMMER LEAGUE IS JUST IT’S THE FIRST TIME THESE GUYS PUT ON THESE UNIFORMS. HOW DO YOU GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND THIS IS LIKE THE FIRST STEP IN A VERY, VERY LONG JOURNEY AND JUST ENJOY THAT PROCESS BECAUSE IT COULD BE OVERWHELMING. I’M SURE IT’S GOT TO BE HARD, BUT ARE YOU GOING TO TRY TO GET THESE GUYS TO GO THROUGH IT AS A GROUP. >> FOR SURE, YEAH. AND IT ONLY, LIKE YOU SAID, IT HAPPENS ONLY ONCE IN YOUR LIFETIME. THE SETUP IS UNBELIEVABLE. THE CROWD. I THINK THE NBA HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB AND IT’S LIKE A CELEBRATION. AND I THINK THAT EVERY YEAR WE GET TO CELEBRATE IN THE SUMMER, WE HAVE SOMETHING TO WATCH ON TV FOR THE ONES THAT WE LOVE BASKETBALL. AND YOU KNOW, THESE GUYS ARE VERY EXCITED. MAYBE THEY’LL PLAY ONE, MAYBE THEY’LL PLAY MORE THAN ONE SUMMER LEAGUE. BUT YOUR FIRST ONE, AS YOU GO INTO THEN TRAINING CAMP AND THEN YOU START THE REGULAR SEASON, IT’S REALLY AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR CAREER. >> JORDI FERNANDEZ THE HEAD COACH OF THE BROOKLYN NETS WHILE WE WATCH HIS SUMMER LEAGUE TEAM RIGHT NOW HERE LATE IN THIS THIRD QUARTER, TALK SOME VETERANS AS WELL, BRINGING OVER MICHAEL PORTER JR AND A TRADE AND ALL THE EXPERIENCES HE HAD IN DENVER. WHAT DOES HE BRING TO BROOKLYN? >> YEAH I MEAN MIKE BRINGS POSITIONAL SIZE REBOUND AND A LOT OF SCORING IN DIFFERENT WAYS. OBVIOUSLY I’VE BEEN WITH MIKE IN DENVER FOR FIVE YEARS, FIVE OF MY SIX. AND IT’S EXCITING TO HAVE HIM BACK, YOU KNOW, AND LIKE YOU SAID, MIKE, YOU USED THE WORD VETERAN. AND DON’T FORGET THAT MIKE IS 27 YEARS OLD AND HE’LL BE THE OLDEST GUY ON OUR ROSTER. THE NEXT GUY WILL BE A THING. NICK NIC CLAXTON AT 25. SO IT TELLS YOU HOW YOUNG WE ARE, HOW MUCH WE CAN GROW AS A GROUP. AND THESE GUYS, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE READY TO WORK AND COMPETE. >> TURNOVER THAT TIME ON SERAPH AND BROOKLYN. WE THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY FOR A FEW MINUTES. AND GOOD LUCK WITH THIS

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernández joins the ESPN Summer League broadcast to discuss the team’s 2025 rookie class, key offseason additions, and his coaching approach with a young, developing roster.

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