Jordi Fernández has constantly preached that he wants his Nets to play hard and disrupt defensively. It’s only preseason, but so far he has gotten just that.
And there was no clearer example than one picture worth a thousand words in Thursday night’s 114-108 win over Philadelphia, with Julius Randle hustling and pressing and diving on the floor for a loose ball.
That’s a soon-to-be 32-year-old veteran whose attitude was questioned in Minnesota.
One salary dumped by a contending Timberwolves squad to the rebuilding Nets. That Randle, the only All-Star on the roster diving for loose balls and picking up full court.
“I mean, you said it, three-time All-Star, has been in the playoffs multiple times, and he’s coming here and the first one to dive on the floor and to pick up full court,” Fernández said. “I couldn’t ask for a better leader and a better vet right there, or a grown-up — because obviously he’s not old. He’s a very young player.
“Very happy because we need that and that’s contagious. Those to me [are] what we call winning plays, right? You dive for a ball, you get it, and then we score. So that picks up the momentum and the energy in the building. So very, very happy with that play And there [were] other plays where we tried to do the same thing.”
Randle finished with a team-high 14 points and a team-high-tying six rebounds, along with two steals and two assists in 21:37.
The power forward said that he and Fernández have discussed his playing some small-ball center in five-out schemes.
Michael Porter Jr. (left wrist soreness), Day’Ron Sharpe (left shoulder soreness), Mikel Brown Jr. (ankle recovery) and Joshua Jefferson (lower back) were all out.
It’s unclear if any will play Monday in Washington.
“I don’t know,” Fernández said. “We’ll see how they feel. Mike was just sore. Mikel is doing a great job, getting close to get back. So we’ll assess them. … We have a day off [Friday], see how they feel coming back and making those decisions. But we’re happy with where everybody is right now health-wise.”
The Nets have signed guard Dion Brown.
Mo Wagner started in place of Sharpe.
He said he’s still getting used to Brookyn’s defense, but he notched a game-high four steals.
Chaney Johnson added two more steals, along with a couple of blocks.
“I take a lot of pride in my defense. That’s my calling card,” Johnson told The Post.
Johnson, on a two-way contract, played a lot of center Thursday at just 6-foot-8.
“Yeah, his versatility, multi-positional, really strong, can guard multiple positions,” Fernández said. “He can play on both sides of the floor [and] played multiple positions.”
