Charlotte Hornets: Kenny Atkinson hired as Head Coach
Seven weeks after parting ways with former head coach James Borrego, the Charlotte Hornets have their new head coach. News broke on Friday evening that current Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson will be the next coach in Charlotte, putting an end to a coaching search that saw current assistants and former head coaches alike in the rumor mill. With Atkinson agreeing to a four-year contract, it is appropriate to take a look at his background and examine how he might fare for the Hornets.
Atkinson has been around the game of basketball for decades, having played collegiately for the Richmond Spiders before enjoying an extended professional career with various stops throughout Europe. His first NBA coaching experience came in 2008 as an assistant with the New York Knicks, less than 50 miles from his hometown of Northport, New York. Ironically, Atkinson would coach under fellow Hornets finalist Mike D’Antoni in this role.
Atkinson then moved on to the Atlanta Hawks, where he was a member of Mike Budenholzer’s staff. Several members of that staff, including Budenholzer himself, have gone on to have success as head coaches. Budenholzer led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA championship last season, Quin Snyder coached the Utah Jazz to the playoffs in six consecutive years, and Taylor Jenkins coached the Memphis Grizzlies to a franchise-record 56 wins this season. Atkinson’s time in Atlanta led him to become the head coach for the Brooklyn Nets, as he inherited a depleted roster and a team that had gone 21-61 the previous year. The high point of his Brooklyn tenure would come in 2019, when the team went 42-40, captured the sixth seed, and won a playoff game. The Nets would then acquire Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving during the ensuing offseason, and the Nets decided to move on from Atkinson toward the end of the following season. Atkinson has spent the past two seasons as an assistant under two of the premier head coaches in the NBA. He spent the 2021 season with Tyronn Lue and the Los Angeles Clippers before joining Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors for the 2022 season.
The Hornets hope that Atkinson can improve the team’s defensive fortunes, as they never ranked higher than 16th in defensive rating during James Borrego’s tenure and were a bottom-nine unit in three out of his four seasons. Conversely, Atkinson improved Brooklyn’s defense from 25th in 2017 to 10th in 2020. He also helped guide the Clippers and Warriors to finish eighth and second in defensive rating in the past two seasons, respectively. He also has a strong record in player development, with players such as Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, and D’Angelo Russell all improving under his coaching. Atkinson’s ability to develop players internally will be a key to success in Charlotte, as the Hornets are not a franchise that is not typically able to build their roster through free agency.
Atkinson becomes the franchise’s eighth head coach since returning to the NBA in 2004. Based on that math, continuity in the head coaching role has been hard to come by for the franchise. The Hornets front office, players, and fans alike will hope that Atkinson can be the catalyst for a team that has flashed potential and is looking to take the proverbial next step in 2023 and beyond.