"You love to stay process-oriented and stick with the process, but you're going home and you're taking that 'L' after the game. It's hard, especially when they start stacking up. Everybody says, 'Don't worry.' Of course you worry if you're a competitor. But that's part of it, part of going through a rebuild and part of being a young coach."
"Once you break through - even that third year when we broke through and made the playoffs, it was doubly rewarding because you went through these real struggles and tough times. And man, I'll never forget when we clinched the playoffs. It was like you're winning the championship."
"It'll break through. You're just waiting for that, 'When is that gonna happen?' I'm sure Jordi's going, 'Man, everyone is saying it'll happen.' But they play so hard, it's eventually going to happen with their talent."
Kenny Atkinson, who successfully rebuilt the Brooklyn Nets, understands the emotional toll of coaching through a rebuild. He emphasizes that while losing streaks are difficult and accumulate mentally, staying process-oriented and committed to development yields eventual success. Atkinson references his own experience in Brooklyn, where the team lost 27 of 29 games in Year 1 but eventually made the playoffs in Year 3, which felt like winning a championship. He believes the current Nets, led by coach Jordi Fernández, possess good talent, coaching, and front office support that will eventually break through. The Nets lost 106-102 to Cleveland despite strong individual performances, demonstrating the patience required during rebuilds.
Read at New York Post
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