Kenny Atkinson Named NBA Coach of the Year
Kenny Atkinson, coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, has been awarded the NBA Coach of the Year award. This recognition comes after an exceptional season in which he led the team to obtain 64 victories and secure the first place in the Eastern Conference during the playoffs.
Atkinson received 59 of the 100 possible votes from the media, surpassing J.B. Bickerstaff, coach of the Detroit Pistons, whom he replaced in the position. Ime Udoka, coach of the Houston Rockets, came in third place.
I got into this. I keep saying that, that I got into this. It’s also a bit of luck, right?
Kenny Atkinson
For Atkinson, this achievement was twofold, as he was also recognized by his colleagues with the National Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year award, an independent award voted on by other head coaches.
I almost broke down when I received that. To think that Carlisle voted for me, that Spoelstra voted for me… that’s like the pinnacle.
Kenny Atkinson
Atkinson was selected after an exhaustive search conducted by the Cavaliers, traveling between Cleveland and France, where he served as an assistant coach on the national team, for the interviews. One of his main arguments to convince the leaders of the Cavaliers’ management, Koby Altman and Mike Gansey, was his confidence in the quality of the existing squad and his vision to optimize it.
Under Atkinson’s direction, the Cavaliers had a standout season. The team featured three All-Stars: Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley, and developed an effective bench rotation with Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter, who also had outstanding seasons.
Atkinson’s main mission was to empower Mobley, whom the Cavs considered key to the team’s improvement. Working with Mitchell, Atkinson reorganized the rotations to ensure that both players shared more minutes on the court. He also designed plays to challenge Mobley as a playmaker and outside shooter.
Mobley tripled his three-pointers, averaged 18.5 points per game (a career high) and, in addition to his first All-Star appearance, was named Defensive Player of the Year. He is a strong candidate to be included in his first All-NBA team alongside Mitchell.
All this was achieved by reducing the minutes of Mitchell, Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, who played more games than the previous year.
A key factor in the team’s mindset was established at a training camp in Sarasota, Florida, in September. Atkinson and his coaching staff used various techniques in the early practices to get the Cavaliers to adapt to a faster game, as well as fostering team unity.
Bickerstaff, who led the Cavaliers to two consecutive playoff appearances and a series win in the first round last season, was popular with the players, so his firing was slightly controversial. However, at the beginning of the season, the Cavaliers had developed excellent team chemistry, as Atkinson fulfilled his promise to increase the role of supporting players and reduce the workload of the stars.
The Cavaliers started the season with a 15-0 record, securing the top spot in the East and maintaining it. Subsequently, they had winning streaks of 12 and 16 games, and swept the season series against 17 different opponents. Atkinson’s system, which shared the workload, turned the team into a dominant force in the regular season.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Miami Heat, setting an NBA record with a 122-point difference in the four games.
The last Cavaliers coach to win the NBA Coach of the Year award was Mike Brown in 2009.
