The Brooklyn Nets are deep in the throes of their rebuilding phase, and it's been a bumpy ride. Wednesday night was a tough outing as they faced a heavy defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-92, in a game that was out of reach from the start.
Missing key players like Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Demin didn't help their cause. The Nets' young squad struggled to keep pace with the reigning champions, looking outmatched throughout the game.
Coach Fernandez, however, found a silver lining in the effort from some of the lesser-known players who stepped up once the Thunder had secured the win.
“You have to be ready at all times. That's professional basketball,” Fernandez remarked postgame, via YES Network.
Jordi Fernández gives an update on Noah Clowney's wrist and describes his process of making adjustments to the rotation.#NETSonYES pic.twitter.com/kzBBcVz72V
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 19, 2026
“I'm very proud of those guys. It's extremely hard to be there sitting and then your number is called and then you play as hard as you can, you make an impact.
Very grateful for those guys.”
Currently, the Nets are without a definitive star to anchor their future. While they boast promising talents like Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf, none have yet shown the makings of a future superstar.
Brooklyn is still on the hunt for that franchise cornerstone. With the 2026 NBA Draft looking particularly strong at the top, securing a high pick is crucial. Their current record of 17-52 places them with the third-worst record in the league, and it's likely they'll aim to boost their lottery odds as the season wraps up.