Nets center says it would be ‘weird’ to see Kenny Atkinson coaching Knicks

Kenny Atkinson could end up coaching just minutes away from his previous NBA job, and one of his former players thinks that it would be an odd sight.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Brooklyn Nets center Jarrett Allen was asked about the possibility of Atkinson becoming the next New York Knicks head coach. Allen replied that it would be “weird” seeing him coach their rivals but that it would motivate him to play even harder against the Knicks, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

Atkinson, who was recently brought in by the Knicks for another interview, coached the Nets from 2016 until his firing this past March. The 22-year-old Allen began his NBA career with Atkinson’s Nets in 2017, developing into an excellent shot-blocker and a nightly double-double threat.

While Tom Thibodeau may still be the frontrunner for the position, Atkinson clearly has not-insignificant support for his candidacy, and his familiarity with coaching in the area surely has to be a point in his favor.