Nets' Jordi Fernandez, Ziaire Williams discuss balancing various goals
Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez and forward Ziaire Williams discussed how the team is balancing short-term and long-term goals.
The Brooklyn Nets are nearing the end of their 2025-26 NBA season and while they are hoping to finish the year on a strong note, they currently have a 10-game losing streak. Part of the reason that Brooklyn has been losing some winnable games lately is due to some interesting rotation decisions, but head coach Jordi Fernandez and forward Ziaire Williams explained various angles of the development arc. "I mean, he's [Williams] a competitor, and he wants to play every single minute.
The reality is that I have to develop the young guys," Fernandez said of Williams following Friday's 116-99 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers . Heading into the fourth quarter, the Nets trailed the Lakers 85-84, but Brooklyn proceeded to lose the fourth quarter 31-15 as Fernandez decided to play some of the less-experienced players down the stretch. "We have five first-round picks, and we have guys that we either just acquired or guys that haven't seen enough," Fernandez continued.
"So, my job is to give answers to what we want to do in the summer. Ziaire is a player that I'm very comfortable with. I love him, and he plays really hard.
That's the reason why [he didn't play in the fourth quarter]. He was amazing. " As Fernandez alluded to during his postgame press conference, Williams is one of the players that has had to understand that he won't be playing in some fourth quarters due to Brooklyn's evaluation process.