Steve Kerr and the Warriors front office made a big splash yesterday, acquiring Kenny Atkinson as the team’s new lead assistant coach.

Atkinson spent last year as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers, and he spent 2016-2020 as the head coach for the Brooklyn Nets, before being replaced by Steve Nash in the 2020-2021 season.

Adding Atkinson to the bench seems to be a great hire for the Dubs, as Atkinson is a proven coach and is widely revered for his ability to develop young talent, which the Warriors organization could certainly use right now as they look to properly develop James Wiseman and currently own the 7th and 14th picks in the NBA draft.

Perhaps the best example of his ability to develop talent happened in 2020, as Atkinson took the lowly Nets, one of the worst teams in the league, and turned them into a playoff squad. Furthermore, adding Atkinson, a former Clippers lead assistant, weakens a rival’s coaching staff while bolstering our own.

Not only is Atkinson a strong coaching hire, but he gives the Warriors another veteran with proven coaching experience, should Mike Brown move on this offseason or next. Brown has been open about his desire to return to head coaching, and there are numerous teams with coaching vacancies.