The Charlotte Hornets are hiring Kenny Atkinson to replace James Borrego as head coach, according to Shams Charania. Borrego met with Hornets officials Wednesday, including owner Michael Jordan, and sealed the deal at the time. Former Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni was also considered a finalist for the Hornets. The Atkinson deal will last four years, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Atkinson, who rose to the league with Mike Budenholzer, made a name for himself as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2016 to 2020. He took charge of a team with virtually no draft capital or starting talent and helped turn them into a playoff team. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were so impressed with the rebuilding of Brooklyn that they decided to join the Nets as free agents in 2019. This, however, turned out to be Atkinson’s loss, as he was unable to forge a relationship. solid with her new veterans and was finally fired. in the middle of the 2019-20 season.
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Atkinson is seen as one of the best talented developers in the NBA. His career at virtually every stop supports this idea. In Brooklyn, he helped turn Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, and D’Angelo Russell into three of the best young basketball guards. He then joined the Los Angeles Clippers as an assistant and Terance Mann became one of the standout players of the 2021 postseason under his control. He spent this season with the Golden State Warriors, and it’s no coincidence that young players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Gary Payton II have thrived with him in the building.
The Hornets have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA, and now Atkinson will be tasked with helping him become a playoff team. Borrego found it hard to catch his breath today in the stifling heat. Charlotte never had a high-end starting center during Borrego’s tenure, and finding one for Atkinson will be a priority to move forward. The Hornets have lost in the game round in consecutive seasons. Atkinson is currently training in the Finals, and the Hornets hope he can take some of that winning momentum with him to Charlotte when he takes over next season.