Can the Hornets Take the 'Next Step' Under Kenny Atkinson?
The Charlotte Hornets have finally decided on a Head Coach in Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson.
49 days after firing James Borrego, NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski announced that the Hornets were hiring Atkinson to a four-year contract.
In Mitch Kupchak's last media availability he spoke about looking for a new voice and a guy who'll take Charlotte to the next step. "Someone that will bring us that next step,” Kupchak said. “I think with this team, under Coach Borrego’s coaching, we made improvements every year. And I don’t want us to get to the point where we stick somewhere too long and we don’t make that improvement that I think this team is ready to make."
The Hornets built success under James Borrego going from 23 wins in 2018-19 to 43 wins in 2021-22. But Mitch Kupchak and the Hornets ownership are looking for more. They don't want to be the young, exciting team anymore. The Hornets want to make the playoffs.
Can Kenny Atkinson be that coach that pushes Charlotte to the next level?
Given the right roster, I believe that Atkinson can be the coach that gets Charlotte to its first playoff appearance since 2016. Kenny Atkinson is someone who can build a long-standing culture in Charlotte. He’s a guy who’s passionate about his players and a coach whom players will gravitate towards. Atkinson couldn’t be further from James Borrego who often kept a calm demeanor and just crossed his arms on the sideline as his team collapsed.
During Atkinson’s first year as Brooklyn’s head coach, he would punish himself after every loss. “A few hours earlier, the Nets lost another game, and this is the punishing ritual of the coach of the worst team in the NBA. After paltry few hours of sleep, he watches the loss again, on a laptop mounted to his bike. When the Nets screw something up, he turns up the resistance knob on the bike.” This type of passion for the game is rare to find in a coach. Nobody could blame Kenny for losing games with a roster centered around Brook Lopez and a bunch of low-end role players, but he wasn’t looking for excuses.
Atkinson’s work ethic is something I believe will resonate with Charlotte players. He’s someone who communicates well with players and a lot of his former players speak well of him. “He loves to see the growth in guys. That’s what you want to be around… he’s running off-screen, passing it, he’s active. You love that in a coach, and him to be so engaged and have so much passion for us and the game. It’s like, yo, we’re willing to put it on the line for you,” said Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The culture that Kenny Atkinson built in Brooklyn with zero lottery picks, and players nearing the end of their careers is very encouraging for Charlotte. What can he do with real talents like LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges?
Outside of losing a handle on the locker room, accountability was a big factor in the firing of James Borrego. Primarily accountability on the defensive side of the ball. For the Hornets to reach the next level, they have to prioritize defense which I think was an influencer in taking Atkinson over D’Antoni.
Under Kenny Atkinson, Brooklyn’s defense improved every season. Going from the 2nd-worst defensive in the league to 8th in defensive rating before Atkinson’s firing in 2020. The Nets didn’t have exceptional defensive personnel in the 2019-20 season, playing Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Caris Levert, and DeAndre Jordan serious minutes but Atkinson’s scheme helped them defend as a unit. Atkinson played a drop-coverage-heavy system, going under ball screens and protecting the paint with Jarrett Allen. They forced opponents to mid-range shots and forced non-shooters to attempt three-pointers. By going under ball screens, they helped disrupt the rhythm of the offense. Atkinson got players to buy into this scheme and would have a short tolerance for players who went off course. While Charlotte doesn’t yet have a shot-blocking big that the Jarrett Allen role in a drop-coverage system, they may be able to find that in the draft in Mark Williams. Williams was one of the best interior defenders in college basketball this season averaging nearly three blocks per game. Kenny Atkinson may be able to plug Williams into a drop coverage-heavy system to make the most of his length and athleticism.
I know Hornets fans don’t want to get excited about hiring a coach whose calling card is player development BUT it’s still very important for this Hornets team. Charlotte has young players in LaMelo Ball, James Bouknight, Kai Jones, and JT Thor who need developing to set up Charlotte for long-term success. Atkinson has a great track record of helping develop D’Angelo Russell, Caris Levert, Dinwiddie, Terance Mann, and Jordan Poole. Dinwiddie spoke to Atkinson’s leadership, “For me, for D-Lo [D’Angelo Russell], for Caris [LeVert], etc. he really helped all of us grow. He was a primary ball-handler back when he played, he’s shared some of those same mentalities on how we play the game and he’s open, he’s willing to be collaborative as a coach, as a leader, and it really helps all of us out.”
Atkinson is a coach that gets the most out of players and will hold them accountable on both ends of the floor. Having learned under Ty Lue and Steve Kerr as an assistant the past two seasons, hopefully, he can bring something new to Charlotte and help them reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
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