Because the Nets got here into Monday’s preseason dwelling opener, their veterans have claimed, to a person, that is the hardest coaching camp they’ve been by way of.
New coach Jordi Fernandez doesn’t thoughts taking the blame for that.
However he admitted it’s mainly the gamers clawing tooth and nail, combating for jobs and roles that fostered that atmosphere, not him.
“Chances are you’ll assume coaches determine that, however the actuality is that gamers play, gamers follow. Those which are making it aggressive, onerous, bodily and difficult are the gamers,” Fernandez mentioned earlier than Monday’s 131-92 preseason win over the Wizards. “Clearly, my calls for are to work extraordinarily onerous, to be a superb teammate, to construct relationships, to compete, to get 1 p.c higher, so on and so forth. Everybody establishes a tradition, our offensive ideas, defensive ideas.
“However the guys are shopping for into it, and so they’re combating for his or her alternatives, their spots, their roles. And that’s a superb factor to see. We noticed it in Recreation 1. Every little thing that we’re doing day-to-day, then it interprets on the courtroom: That togetherness, that competitiveness, being selfless. And on the finish of the day, I like that they blamed me for camp being so onerous, however I’m going responsible them for working onerous and being engaged and dedicated to the method.”
The Nets hosted a Washington group additionally within the early phases of a rebuild.
And after some fairly aggressive practices and scrimmages, they had been itching to face any individual in a special jersey.
“We’ve had a whole lot of nice, wholesome competitors, so we’re undoubtedly trying ahead to placing on the identical jersey and beating up on any individual else,” mentioned Ziaire Williams.
“It’s undoubtedly been a grind, however we’ve undoubtedly been getting after it, and I feel it’s going to repay, particularly the way in which coach needs to play…I’ve by no means had a coaching camp like this, going as onerous as we’re going. It’s been a problem, however it’s been enjoyable,” Shake Milton mentioned. “We’ve been working actually onerous. The entire month of September was only a grind for us, and all people’s excited to beat up on any individual else.”
Elevating their competitiveness stage is one thing that each former coach Jacque Vaughn and Kevin Ollie, the interim coach who adopted him, did not do final season.
It’s one thing Fernandez has harped upon.
To that finish, he’s put the Nets by way of their paces with a ton of conditioning.
“Not that it’s totally different, simply much more [conditioning]. These days, you go up and down two or 3 times, and so they say your load is just too excessive, proper? It’s not an excessive amount of of that over right here,” Williams mentioned. “So we’ve been getting after it, competing at a excessive stage. It’s been good, although, man.
“We’ve undoubtedly been doing much more than I’ve in my profession, for certain. It’s a brand new workers, a whole lot of new guys. We’re simply going to see what everyone seems to be able to doing. Like Jordi mentioned, nothing’s going to be handed out. Nothing’s going to be given. He doesn’t care who you might be, what you’ve accomplished: he needs you to depart it on the ground whereas he’s right here proper now. In order that’s what we’re attempting to do.”
Fernandez hasn’t simply put his Nets by way of tons of conditioning. He’s additionally demanded excessive depth of their scrimmages.
“I’d say the depth of it,” Milton mentioned. “Sometimes, you get into September, and guys are enjoying pickup, they go to [Los Angeles] or Miami, or these runs or no matter, and it’s simply buddy-buddy. You’re working in your sport, however it’s probably not that intensive, what an NBA sport has been like. A lot of the guys have proven up in September, and we actually wished to dedicate ourselves to place in that work. So it’s been sport pace this entire time. It’s been excessive depth, and you may inform from all people, simply the expansion they’ve had on the defensive finish. So it’s been good.”
