In his two seasons as an associate head coach for the Sacramento Kings, Jordi Fernandez essentially served as the team’s offensive coordinator, overseeing all aspects of player development and strategy at that end of the court.
The Kings went 46-36 during the 2023-24 regular season and finished with an offensive rating of 116.2, good for 13th in the NBA. However, during the 2022-23 season — Fernandez’s first in Sacramento — the Kings had an offensive rating of 118.6 and boasted one of the best offensive attacks in league history.
While Sacramento did take a step back last season in terms of overall offensive production, it still ranked ninth in points per game (116.6), seventh in assists per game (28.3), and 14th in team field goal percentage (47.7). Fernandez is entering his first season as an NBA head coach. Assuming he brings a similar offensive philosophy to Brooklyn, this young, rebuilding Nets franchise should be in great shape.
Last season, Brooklyn ranked 25th in the league in points per game (110.4), 20th in assists per game (25.6) and 28th in team field goal percentage (45.6). General manager Sean Marks has faith that Fernandez can help correct the team’s offensive struggles, in time.
But what can Nets fans expect from a Fernandez-led offense? While his personnel in Brooklyn will be much different than the players he coached in Sacramento, his overall offensive philosophy will likely remain the same.
“We’ll have a team that’s extremely competitive on both sides of the floor… Very competitive at both ends,” Fernandez said. “A team that is connected, so that means that they care about each other, and a team that is selfless — that will put the team first. I think this will give us the identity that we need. As you guys know, the NBA with 82 regular-season games and then postseason is going to be a challenge. There’s going to be ups and downs, but like I said, if we’re able to fight, if we care about each other, if we put the team first, we’re going to be very good in the long run.”
OFFENSIVE FLOW
Big men serve as the primary playmakers in Fernandez’s offense. In Denver it was Nikola Jokić. In Sacramento it was Domantas Sabonis. In Brooklyn, guys like Nic Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith and Ben Simmons will likely be asked to step up and fill that role.
Fernandez wants to play fast and push the ball in transition, but even in the halfcourt, his offense is designed to keep opposing defenses off balance at all times. Similar to the Kings’ offense last season, expect the Nets to initiate offense by throwing the ball to their big men at the elbows or near the top of the key. From there it is all read-and-react. Big men will be asked to see the floor like a point guard, or like a quarterback in football, and distribute the ball accordingly based on a series of quick reads.
Big men will have plenty of options after catching the ball. Guards will constantly be in motion, whether setting or receiving screens. The big can then initiate a dribble handoff with a guard, give it up to a guard and set screens to free up other perimeter players, or keep the ball and attack the heart of a defense. If the big decides to take matters into his own hands, it will usually force a defense to collapse further, which can lead to easier kick-out opportunities for open shooters on the perimeter, like Cam Johnson, or easier scoring opportunities for big men hanging out in the dunker spot, like Day’Ron Sharpe or Noah Clowney.
If a defense over commits on a dribble handoff, big men will have opportunities to roll to the rim. Guards, of course, will mainly be hunting for 3-pointers and driving lanes.
When you see it in action, it will look something like the famous Princeton offense, albeit with unique wrinkles, and big men will have the most prominent roles. For guards such as Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroder, it should translate to less 1-on-1 basketball and easier scoring opportunities in rhythm.
As the Nets’ starting center, the ball will be in Claxton’s hands more than ever before, which comes with a lot of responsibility. Claxton, 25, averaged just 2.1 assists last season in Brooklyn. Fernandez’s offense will force him to evolve into more of a complete offensive threat at center.
“Obviously he’s great in pick and roll, he’s quick to the rim, he puts pressure on the rim — but also his ability to play the dribble-handoff game which, as you guys know, lately in the NBA is a style that is very efficient,” Fernandez said of Claxton. “And it helps with ball movement. So, when everybody touches the ball and everybody’s involved, everybody’s happier. You’re harder to guard because there’s more — you’re not that predictable to just play pick-and-roll. So, he fits perfectly, what we want to do moving forward.”
BALL SCREEN ACTIONS
In Sacramento, Fernandez liked to call double high screens for his guards, using two versatile big men, to open up the floor and give guards more options and different angles when attacking the rim. Having big men who can set strong screens is obviously key. The Kings had Sabonis and Alex Len. The Nets have some solid screeners in Sharpe and Finney-Smith, but that is one area Claxton must get better at in 2024-25.
From a guard standpoint, Thomas — a high-volume scorer who loves to take defenders 1-on-1 — will be involved in more screen-and-roll actions, which means his decision-making must be sharp. While the 22-year-old made great strides in that area last season, he is still nowhere close to a guy like Schroder, who averaged 6.1 assists across 80 games last season.
After setting screens, big men can roll to the basket, pop out to the perimeter, or re-screen in certain scenarios. It will be up to Brooklyn’s guards to make the proper reads out of these actions to ensure the team is running at peak efficiency on offense.
De’Aaron Fox improved greatly in pick-and-roll situations during Fernandez’s time in Sacramento. The hope is that Thomas will become his next success story.
“When you have a young roster — and talented — that means that you’re going to have those guys for a long time,” Fernandez said. “So, you can develop them, and then they can perform at their best.”
