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Warriors hiring former Nets head coach as a lead assistant [report]

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© Brad Penner | 2020 Mar 6


The Warriors’ first big move of the 2021 offseason does not involve their roster, at least not directly.

Golden State is reportedly in the process of replacing recently departed assistant coach Jarron Collins with former Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, according to The Athletic.

Atkinson will join the Warriors as a lead assistant alongside Mike Brown. Brown was also a former NBA head coach from 2005-2014.

Atkinson helped lead the Nets to a rapid and unpredictable rise from 2016-2019, before departing in 2020 after clashing with the newly acquired stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Ironically, it was the Nets’ surprising playoff run in 2019 that helped entice the two to sign with Brooklyn that offseason. Atkinson has a reputation as a coach who is able to get production out of limited talent, especially on the defensive end.

Atkinson spent this season as a lead assistant to Ty Lue on the Clippers bench alongside Chauncey Billups.

The rest of the Warriors’ staff still includes Ron Adams, Chris DeMarco, Bruce Fraser, Aaron Miles, Leandro Barbosa and Nick Kerr, among others.