Schroder fuels win for Fernandez, Nets: “Just give me the ball”
· EurohoopsSpanish Jordi Fernandez is up to 2-3 in his first season as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets
By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Dennis Schroder tallied 11 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, pushing the Brooklyn Nets to a win, 119-106, against the Memphis Grizzlies in FedExForum on Wednesday.
The German floor general was the top player for Spanish head coach Jordi Fernandez. His 11/14 field goals included 6/9 from beyond the arc. Besides scoring and taking over down the stretch, he dished out eight assists. He also registered two rebounds and one steal in just under 34 minutes.
“At one point, he said, ‘Just give me the ball. I’ll take care of this.’ And that’s what he does. He’s a leader,” said Fernandez in the postgame press conference, “He puts everybody in place. If he has to score, he scores. And he finished the game. So it’s really, really, really good to have him on the court.”
The experienced guard, a 2023 FIBA World Cup champion with Germany, was the difference-maker in Memphis. “I told him to give me the ball, and he said, ‘OK, I got you.’ And, gladly, we won the game,” he confirmed key demands from his coach.
At the top of his 12th NBA campaign, the Braunschweig native is averaging 22.5 points and 8.3 assists per contest, helping the Nets jump to 2-3 in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season.
Croatian teammate Bojan Bogdanovic (left foot injury recovery) remained sidelined.
The hosts fell to 2-3. Spanish Santi Aldama was reduced to a reserve role and was held to two points, three rebounds, and two steals.