SAN FRANCISCO — Although a leaf fell off Steve Kerr’s coaching tree this week with the firing of Mike Brown, the branch in town for the Warriors’ matchup against the Cavaliers has never been more fruitful.
Kenny Atkinson, who spent the previous three seasons on Golden State’s bench as an assistant, has led the Cavaliers to an NBA-best 27-4 record. As the calendar flips to 2025, Atkinson and the Cavaliers have been the story of the league, with the top-rated offense and a top-10 defense.
After winning 48 games and a second-round exit, Cleveland kept its roster intact but brought in Atkinson. The results have been marvelous.
Without Atkinson’s three years sitting next to Kerr on the Warriors’ bench, it might not look quite the same.
“This was finishing school for me,” Atkinson said pregame at Chase Center. “As a coach, I don’t think I was a complete coach until I came here and, quite honestly, learned from the best. The best players, the best coach. I was an observer, really, most of the time. I got a lot more out of this than anything I brought to the table. It was just great. Like I said, it completed me as a coach.”
Atkinson was on the bench for Golden State’s capstone fourth championship in 2022. That year was his introduction to Kerr’s culture.
Atkinson noted the joy Kerr fosters, the championship move he has made, his emotional control in big games and his ability to coach star players as key attributes he tried to learn.
And then, of course, his Phil Jackson stories. Atkinson’s eyes lit up when asked about some of the more particularly lasting anecdotes he picked up.
He remembers the lessons about how Jackson — and Kerr — would touch everyone on the roster with their coaching, not just the best players. The Bulls’ passing, and Kerr’s evolution of bringing triangle elements into his Warriors system, was magical for a coach to see up close.
“And just most importantly, Steve was the ultimate role player, right?” Atkinson said. “I think it was every two weeks he had kind of the ‘Steve Kerr speech.’ Like, everybody has to be ready, everybody has to sacrifice so we can get to a championship level. What was great about Steve was he lived it. He lived that role player situation over and over. So guys would nod their heads, they understood. Especially that championship year, all our role players (were great). I remember thinking, ‘It’s about time he gives his role player speech.’ That was great, I learned a lot from that.”
Atkinson had been a head coach for four seasons in Brooklyn and several more as an assistant before that prior to joining Kerr’s staff. But he needed that last graduate-level course with Professor Kerr.
“I’m happy for him, number one,” Kerr said. “Kenny’s a great guy and a great friend, and he brought so much to us. He helped us win a championship in 2022. He’s a phenomenal coach on both sides of the ball, he’s intense. He was really a great fit for us, so I always root for him.”
Notable
– With the way Kerr was describing it, Brandin Podziemski’s right abdominal strain is mild. MRI scans came back clean and the team is terming him day-to-day after the Cleveland game.
Without Podziemski on Monday, the Warriors will likely stagger Dennis Schroder and Steph Curry even more, keeping at least one on the floor at all times. Kyle Anderson could also get spot minutes as an offense initiator.
– With Trayce Jackson-Davis emerging over the past couple weeks and Jonathan Kuminga starring with back-to-back 34-point games, Kerr said, “I probably feel better about our young group now than I ever have.”
“I mentioned the other night I think Jonathan is having a breakthrough, just his recognition of what’s happening,” Kerr said. “I think Trayce is making a leap. I love BP, what he brings to the table: his grit, his toughness, his basketball I.Q..”
– Former Warrior Ty Jerome is averaging 10.3 points and 3.5 assists per game on 51/42/89 shooting splits with the Cavs.