National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets: B/R Ranks Kenny Atkinson as 27th Best Head Coach

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With the 2016-17 NBA training camp approaching, multiple media publications have been previewing the players and staff of each team. Bleacher Report looked at each head coach yesterday, and ranked Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson at 27th.

The Brooklyn Nets have had their share of bad luck with head coaches in recent years. Since their move to Brooklyn in 2012, the Nets have made five coaching changes. Entering the 2016-17 season, Brooklyn will be led by yet another new coach, Kenny Atkinson.

Bleacher Report recently released their power rankings of all 30 NBA head coaches. They ranked Atkinson at 27th.

Atkinson was ranked ahead of just Nate McMillan (Indiana Pacers), Earl Watson (Phoenix Suns), and Luke Walton (Los Angeles Lakers). One thing that all of these coaches have in common is that they are all new coaches for their respective teams.

Below is what Dan Favale of Bleacher Report had to say about Atkinson’s outlook as a first-year head coach:

Kenny Atkinson has zero experience as an NBA head coach, but he’s well-traveled and expertly versed in an array of different styles.

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Of course, Atkinson does not have zero coaching experience overall. Atkinson spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks from 2008 to 2012, and was even credited with helping Jeremy Lin blossom as “Linsanity.”

Atkinson’s most recent coaching gig was with the Atlanta Hawks, where he spent another four seasons. Observing the coaching style of Mike Budenholzer should help Atkinson when deciding on what offensive strategies to implement.

As Favale points out, Atkinson has experience with teams in a rebuilding mode. This should benefit the Nets greatly, as Brooklyn has not been stranger to rebuilds in recent years.

Atkinson, then, has assisted with wholesale rebuilds at every stop—making him exactly what the Brooklyn Nets need.

It will be interesting to see how Atkinson fares in his first season with Brooklyn. He will be reuniting with Lin, the player he helped develop in New York five years ago. Luckily for Atkinson, expectations for Brooklyn are not sky high, which may help him foster a new positive environment for the team.

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