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Steve Hetzel has helped Jordi Fernández shape the Nets’ coaching operation over the last two seasons. Now, that work is drawing interest elsewhere.
Hetzel is one of four finalists for the New Orleans Pelicans’ head coaching vacancy, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, joining Milwaukee associate head coach Darvin Ham, San Antonio associate head coach Sean Sweeney and Bucks coaching associate Rajon Rondo. Former Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley is also believed to be in the mix if he becomes available.
The development is notable given how recently the Nets doubled down on Fernández’s staff. Last month, owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks signed Fernández and his entire staff to multiyear extensions, an unusually broad show of confidence for a franchise coming off back-to-back 26- and 20-win seasons. Hetzel was part of that commitment.
Hetzel has served as Brooklyn’s Summer League head coach in each of the last two offseasons, and when Fernández was away from the team during the summer of 2024 preparing Team Canada for the Paris Olympics, Hetzel oversaw the Nets’ offseason development program. That kind of responsibility doesn’t get handed out lightly, and Hetzel has said he’s grown comfortable in Fernández’s system because of the freedom and trust built into the staff structure.
“Working for Jordi has been some of the most fun I’ve ever had,” Hetzel said. “The way he allows us as a staff to put our imprint on the team and have a voice. So, I feel comfortable speaking to the team directly with the amount that he gives us. … I feel very comfortable with his system and stepping in.”
He’s already had to do exactly that. When Fernández missed a December game against Milwaukee because of the flu, Hetzel stepped in and guided Brooklyn to a 127-82 win at Barclays Center, a result that tied the largest victory margin in franchise history.
Still, Hetzel’s case as a head coaching candidate is built on much more than one night. Before joining the Nets, he spent four seasons as a player development coach with the Detroit Pistons from 2009-13, then worked as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets from 2014-18, Orlando Magic from 2018-21 and Portland Trail Blazers from 2021-23.
The Pelicans are looking for stability after another disappointing season. New Orleans went 26-56 in 2025-26 and finished 11th in the Western Conference. The franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since 2023-24 and hasn’t won a playoff series since sweeping Portland in 2017-18. While the Pelicans don’t own a lottery pick this offseason, they do enter the summer with a roster core already under contract, including Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III.
That makes the coaching search one of the organization’s most important decisions of the offseason.
For the Nets, Hetzel’s candidacy is another sign the staff Tsai and Marks just extended is gaining traction around the league. For Hetzel, it’s a chance to move from a trusted role on Brooklyn’s bench to the top chair in New Orleans.
Continue reading...
Hetzel is one of four finalists for the New Orleans Pelicans’ head coaching vacancy, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, joining Milwaukee associate head coach Darvin Ham, San Antonio associate head coach Sean Sweeney and Bucks coaching associate Rajon Rondo. Former Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley is also believed to be in the mix if he becomes available.
The development is notable given how recently the Nets doubled down on Fernández’s staff. Last month, owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks signed Fernández and his entire staff to multiyear extensions, an unusually broad show of confidence for a franchise coming off back-to-back 26- and 20-win seasons. Hetzel was part of that commitment.
Hetzel has served as Brooklyn’s Summer League head coach in each of the last two offseasons, and when Fernández was away from the team during the summer of 2024 preparing Team Canada for the Paris Olympics, Hetzel oversaw the Nets’ offseason development program. That kind of responsibility doesn’t get handed out lightly, and Hetzel has said he’s grown comfortable in Fernández’s system because of the freedom and trust built into the staff structure.
“Working for Jordi has been some of the most fun I’ve ever had,” Hetzel said. “The way he allows us as a staff to put our imprint on the team and have a voice. So, I feel comfortable speaking to the team directly with the amount that he gives us. … I feel very comfortable with his system and stepping in.”
He’s already had to do exactly that. When Fernández missed a December game against Milwaukee because of the flu, Hetzel stepped in and guided Brooklyn to a 127-82 win at Barclays Center, a result that tied the largest victory margin in franchise history.
Still, Hetzel’s case as a head coaching candidate is built on much more than one night. Before joining the Nets, he spent four seasons as a player development coach with the Detroit Pistons from 2009-13, then worked as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets from 2014-18, Orlando Magic from 2018-21 and Portland Trail Blazers from 2021-23.
The Pelicans are looking for stability after another disappointing season. New Orleans went 26-56 in 2025-26 and finished 11th in the Western Conference. The franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since 2023-24 and hasn’t won a playoff series since sweeping Portland in 2017-18. While the Pelicans don’t own a lottery pick this offseason, they do enter the summer with a roster core already under contract, including Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III.
That makes the coaching search one of the organization’s most important decisions of the offseason.
For the Nets, Hetzel’s candidacy is another sign the staff Tsai and Marks just extended is gaining traction around the league. For Hetzel, it’s a chance to move from a trusted role on Brooklyn’s bench to the top chair in New Orleans.
Continue reading...
