The Brooklyn Nets have announced Atlanta Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson as their new head coach.
The Nets formally announced the hire on Sunday, with the stipulation that Atkinson will remain with the Hawks until their playoff run concludes.
The 48-year-old has been an assistant with Atlanta since 2012 under Larry Drew and now Mike Budenholzer. Prior to that, he spent four seasons working under Mike D’Antoni with the New York Knicks.
The hire has been met with good reviews, with Atkinson’s player development abilities receiving praise.
Strong hire by the Nets with Kenny Atkinson as the new head coach. Atkinson one of the best in player development. https://t.co/HQhAGqu8Kj
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 17, 2016
Brooklyn isn’t exactly a great job right now. After cleaning house earlier in the season, the cupboard is fairly bare both in terms of talent and future draft picks thanks to some seriously ill-advised trades by former GM Billy King. Given Atkinson’s player development background, it seems as though the Nets are playing the long game as far as rebuilding goes. They don’t really have any other choice.
