Jordi Fernandez places emphasis on conditioning with powerful Nets camp

SAN DIEGO — After the Nets underachieved final season — sufficient in order that they’ve launched into a tear-it-down rebuild — new coach Jordi Fernandez has are available intent on resetting the tradition and conditioning.

To that finish, he’s been working one of many hardest coaching camps even his most skilled gamers have ever seen.

“Most likely one of the crucial distinctive, and hardest coaching camps I’ve been by way of in these 12 years now,” Dennis Schroder acknowledged. “Prefer it, although, to this point. Everyone’s shopping for into it. Coach and coaches are doing a terrific job of protecting us organized and collectively. It’s been nice.”

With a team-high 11 prior NBA seasons beneath his belt, that claims rather a lot coming from Schroder. However different veteran teammates concurred.

“It’s been good,” Cam Johnson mentioned. “It’s been excessive effort, excessive depth … we’ve been getting after it.”

Forewarned is forearmed. Dorian Finney-Smith had requested across the NBA about Fernandez, and been advised he’s all about onerous work.

“We’re going to be well-conditioned,” Finney-Smith laughed. “The individuals I speak to across the league, all of them had nice issues to say about him, so I knew what to anticipate. I heard he was a tough employee and he’d need us to compete. That’s what he’s been asking us.”

Each Jacque Vaughn after which Kevin Ollie had requested the identical final season. Each failed.

The top results of that failure was a 32-50 mark so disappointing that the Nets traded Mikal Bridges and began a rebuild. However whereas the entrance workplace contemplates lottery positioning, Fernandez is intent on constructing a optimistic tradition from the beginning.

Or extra precisely, fixing the questionable tradition the Nets had.

“A number of reps. A number of physicality. The way you wish to play. Altering the tradition a bit,” Schroder admitted. “You’ve bought to choose up full court docket, however then on the opposite facet if you’re on offense, they’re choosing you up full court docket. So it’s been nice. You understand, we’ve bought to regulate to it; however it’s coming collectively.”

When confronted with an absence of stars, dimension or expertise, the younger Nets are going to need to play at a frenetic tempo on each ends.

Meaning being in higher form than their opponents, which begins now. It will not be the Junction Boys, however it gained’t be straightforward.

“It’s been rather a lot,” Johnson admitted. “It’s been a number of working, of motion. … They’re urging us to choose up full-court and actually play onerous on that finish, strain the ball.

“And people issues — as you’re enjoying in scrimmages and also you’re enjoying in dwell play — are straightforward to slack off of if you happen to’re not absolutely in form. So yeah, we’re enjoying by way of some fatigue. Everyone is, they usually’re holding us accountable on that finish, which goes to go a good distance in us enjoying at that top stage of conditioning.”

Fernandez is main the best way in that. A gamers vs. coaches capturing contest in follow noticed Fernandez out on the court docket doing push-ups throughout follow.

There are a variety of nights this season the place Fernandez’s group goes to get outshot and outplayed. He’s striving to see they’re hardly ever outworked.

“We’re looking for our identification,” Ziaire Williams mentioned. “Being essentially the most bodily and quickest group up and down the ground.”