Barclays Center got one last regular-season home game Thursday, and the timing was awkward for the fans. The Nets and Indiana Pacers both sat star power again while the lottery picture stays front and center, leaving the building to host something closer to a late-season tryout than a showcase.

Jordi Fernández didn’t pretend that’s what people sign up for when they buy tickets. But when he was asked what he’s appreciated about the fan base during a season in which Brooklyn entered the night 12-28 at home, he went straight to the one thing that hasn’t wavered.

“Yeah, I mean the loyalty and the support has been amazing, especially going into a season that we didn’t win a lot of games,” Fernández said. “But all our guys worked and played hard, got better, and to feel the support for what we’re trying to do and the plan we have is pretty special.”

That’s the tightrope this team has walked for months. The record hasn’t been good enough, and the home record shows it. But Fernández keeps pointing back to effort, to growth, to the idea that the group has kept showing up for the work even when the standings stopped being kind. He said the fans have shown up, too, and that it’s felt.

“So, I appreciate them showing up, and the way we play is because we feel that support,” Fernández said. “We are going to keep getting 1% better and we’re going to find that success that everybody wants and sustain it.”

For a second-year coach, the relationship with the borough has been part of the assignment. Fernández said he wants fans to feel like they’ve watched a team that reflects Brooklyn’s personality, even if the product has been uneven and the roster has been young.

“Yeah, I think that it’s a group that is going to represent the borough and go out there and fight and get better,” Fernández said. “Not always going to be perfect, but I think that we give our best and we compete. I think that we’ve shown that.”

He also pushed back on the idea that youth and constant change should soften expectations. The Nets have leaned heavily on young players all season, but Fernández said the group never used that as a shield.

“The challenges of the new group and the youth, it’s never been an excuse,” Fernández said. “But they’ve shown how much they care, and I think that feeling of support has been very important for us.”

So even with a final home game that won’t feature the full names fans want to see on the floor, Fernández said the message is simple. Appreciation first. Then a promise that the work won’t stop.

“Well, obviously, to appreciate what they do for us. It means a lot, from the support that we get in our events that are not in the arena, like Practice in the Park and all the other community events,” Fernández said. “I think this is the reason why we do this, is to impact in a positive way the community, but also to show them and promise them that we’re going to keep working, getting better and competing so when they watch us play, they’re proud of what we’re doing.”