NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets have been looking forward to Wednesday for quite some time now as the team has been looking to "shock the world" since the offseason began. Brooklyn spent the summer developing the younger players on the roster while bringing in veterans such as forward Julius Randle, but now, the goal is to begin the 2026-27 campaign playing the right way.
"I've been happy with the work they've put in every day. This is going to be one [game] of 82. Obviously, you want to be successful, you want to give yourself a chance," Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said of his team prior to Wednesday's season-opening matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. With Brooklyn in the midst of its rebuild, the hope is that the team can turn the corner
sometime soon, possibly beginning against Charlotte.
"You want to end up winning a game, but the reality is, this is a process the same way that as an organization we're in a process that we want to find success and sustain it," Fernandez continued. "The regular season is the same way. If you want to break it down, it's four quarters, and we see it in a way that take the emotions to the side. The guys have done the drills, they know what they're supposed to do on both ends, and that's what I trust."
Heading into Wednesday's game against the Hornets, the Nets have a couple of factors working in their favor with the first one begin that they get to begin their season at home in front of their fans. The second factor working for Brooklyn is the fact that Charlotte is missing some of its key players in Coby White and Kon Knueppel while the Nets are essentially healthy outside of rookie forward Tyler Bilodeau who is unavailable due to a right shoulder injury.
"The roster is just loaded, I think. It'll be a great challenge for us tonight on the road. I think they were one of the best offensive teams in the preseason, which means that they're coming in with a ton of confidence as well," Hornets head coach Charles Lee said of the Nets. Brooklyn has already faced this Charlotte squad once in the preseason and it seems like the goal is to repeat as much of the good play from that contest as possible to start the year.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets looking to begin 2026-27 NBA season on the right foot vs. Hornets
