Julius Randle sets the tone as Nets’ hard-nosed approach carries them past 76ers in preseason

The Nets turned a preseason game into a statement about how they want to look and play, and Julius Randle was at the center of it. In New Jersey’s 114-108 win over the 76ers on Oct. 8 in Philadelphia, Randle’s approach captured the message coach Jordi Fernández has been reinforcing: play with constant effort, make contact with purpose, and attack loose balls instead of drifting into long stretches of indecision.

According to the report from Yahoo Sports, Randle followed Fernández’s “play hard” edict by hustling and diving for a loose ball during the game. That specific moment mattered because it reflects a broader basketball philosophy. In preseason, coaches rarely get to control effort without getting it reinforced in real time, and visible scrappiness can become the easiest habit for a team to buy into.

Fernández’s desire for the Nets to “disrupt defensively” was also framed as a through line for how the group attempted to manage possessions. Even with preseason lineups and rotations constantly changing, defensive disruption is not just about scheme. It is about effort habits, like competing through contact, closing on time, and being willing to sprint for something that might otherwise be a routine bounce.

The 76ers, meanwhile, provided the kind of opponent that makes those habits stand out. With Philadelphia in front of its home crowd, the game carried the stakes that preseason contests sometimes miss: show that you can play with intensity against established talent. A photo from the game coverage shows Randle attempting a shot over Joel Embiid, underscoring that the Nets were not just running drills, they were competing against the kind of star force that turns every possession into a measuring stick.

Preseason results do not decide standings, and one night does not guarantee a season-long identity. But these are the early games where the Nets can begin to form a consistent behavioral template, something Fernández can reference when practices get inconsistent or when the league’s schedule inevitably forces lineup shuffles. If Randle’s willingness to dive and fight for loose balls becomes contagious, it can change how the team plays in the margins, which is where NBA games often swing.

For the 76ers, the primary takeaway is the mirror image: if New Jersey’s defensive disruption is coming from energy rather than only from assignments, Philadelphia will need to be ready for the Nets to play with urgency even before the games start counting toward league positioning. Preseason is also where teams learn what kinds of pace and defensive pressure are going to be sustainable once the roster settles.

What to watch next for both clubs is whether the Nets can keep matching effort with decision-making. The early indicator from this game is that Randle’s example aligned with Fernández’s messaging, and that the Nets’ physicality and willingness to scramble showed up on the scoreboard and in the effort plays. If that continues, the Nets’ defensive disruption will have a chance to become more than a coaching phrase, it will become a repeatable performance.

For now, the only fully confirmed takeaway is that New Jersey executed better in the specific areas that were emphasized, and it led to a preseason win. In the next phase of the exhibition period and into the regular season, the key question becomes whether the same hustle shows up when the legs are heavier, the opponent is sharper, and the game is no longer a dress rehearsal.