Philadelphia 76ers: 10 head coaching candidates to consider

Sixers coaching candidate: Kenny Atkinson

Kenny Atkinson spent the majority of his playing career overseas before moving into the coaching realm. He got his first NBA gig in 2008, and spent four years as an assistant in New York. He then moved to Atlanta, where he served under Mike Budenholzer from 2012-16. His next stop was Brooklyn, where he spent four years as the Nets head coach.

Atkinson was fired this season in anticipation of Brooklyn’s competitive arrival in 2021. Atkinson steered Brooklyn effortlessly through a rebuild, installing a system that maximized talent and allowed the Nets to compete for a playoff spot much earlier than most anticipated. Frankly, his firing probably has more to do with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving than anything he expressly failed at.

Known for a system that revolves heavily around 3s and guard play, Atkinson would experience some unavoidable shell shock in Philadelphia. He would need to mold his new-era tendencies to an old-era roster. Ideally the Sixers add more guard talent this offseason, but unless blockbuster trades are made, the Sixers will still have clunky personnel in 2021. Atkinson would need to prove he’s creative enough to overcome that.

With that said, Atkinson is also known for the culture he helped build in Brooklyn. Before the arrival of KD and Kyrie, the Nets’ locker room was touted as one of the strongest in the NBA. Guys played hard for Atkinson, and again, he seemed to get the most out of his players. D’Angelo Russell is not a perennial All-Star talent. The Sixers need someone to come in and take command of a locker room Brett Brown seemed to lose in his final campaign.