The Sacramento Kings‘ rapid turnaround is benefitting everyone involved. Whether it be all-star nominations for players like Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox or three-point contest nominations for Kevin Huerter, the franchise is getting more love than it has in many years. Associate head coach Jordi Fernandez is the latest example of someone involved in the teams’ turnaround getting love.
Fernandez is Kings head coach Mike Browns’ top assistant and has played a significant role in the culture that has been built so quickly in Sacramento. It’s his first year working under Brown but that hasn’t slowed them down as they’ve helped guide the Kings to a top-three record in the western conference at the NBA’s all-star break.
Sources: The Hawks' head coaching candidates are expected to include Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson, G League South Bay's Miles Simon and former Jazz coach Quin Snyder.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 21, 2023
Fernandez has filled in for Brown on a few occasions this season. He did so twice when Brown was in the NBA’s Health and Safety protocols and closed out one more game in charge when Brown got ejected.
Jordi Fernandez deserves the opportunity but would be a massive loss for the Kings
There are two key things to cover here regarding the Hawks potential interest in Jordi Fernandez. Both can be true at the same time.
First, Fernandez deserves this. He is extremely well-regarded in the league and it’s only a matter of time before he gets a head coaching opportunity. It may not be this job with Atlanta, but it certainly is coming in the coming years.
The perfect proof of that is his name even being mentioned here. It’s likely the beginning of a trend with his name being included at the top of job searches. That is if he doesn’t get this one with the Hawks.
The second key thing for the Kings here is that this would be very unfortunate. While they can accept he is likely going to leave for a great opportunity relatively soon, hopefully, it will be a bit further into this teams new found success together.
Too many changing pieces, especially important ones like Fernandez, is tough for a team still looking and hoping to establish itself more long-term. This can be a big setback if Fernandez leaves. Brown will be under a lot of pressure to find the perfect replacement for him if and when it does eventually happen.
Time will tell how this one plays out, but it is nice to see members of the Kings organization getting some love from others around the league.