Nine years ago, Kenny Atkinson took over as Brooklyn Nets head coach and lifted the team out of the NBA basement and into the playoff picture. Following the failed Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving era, the Nets find themselves entrenched in another rebuild.
Unlike Atkinson's first season, this team features an NBA-record five first-round picks, including Brooklyn's first lottery selection since 2010. Still, the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach sees similarities to his rebuild.
“Year one [for me here], we went through a lot of growing pains… We just threw a bunch of guys out there and they made mistakes and we didn't win hardly any games,” Atkinson said before the Cavs' 131-124 win over the Nets on Friday. “But I think of Joe Harris. He was a disaster his first year, like, can this guy play in the league? There were a bunch of guys in that bucket. We had the luxury of being able to throw them out there, though. There’s no better development road than that.
“This seems similar here, where they’re like, ok, the best way to do this is get these guys in an NBA game and [let them] take their lumps and learn. And then year two, they get a little better, and then year three, you hope you’re in the playoff hunt. I would think that’s the roadmap.”
Kenny Atkinson drew comparisons to his Nets tenure when asked about Brooklyn trying to develop five rookies:
“I think of Joe Harris. He was a disaster his first year, like, can this guy play in the league? There were a bunch of guys in that bucket. We had the luxury of being… pic.twitter.com/VkwZLmxtqC
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) October 24, 2025
Atkinson developed several late-round picks, such as Jarett Allen and Caris LeVert, into starting-caliber players with Brooklyn. He also had success with several reclamation projects, including Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Current Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, also lauded for his player development track record, is being tasked with developing rookies Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf.
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Of the rookies, Demin and Saraf are full-time members of Brooklyn's rotation to start the season. Both players will have no shortage of opportunities to hone their skillsets while splitting the team's point guard reps.
“Very skilled guys. Skill and IQ, that's kinda what jumps off the tape,” Atkinson said. “Like all the young guys, they gotta get stronger physically. That's my first impression. It's kind of what their reputations were at the previous level. Skilled guys who are smart.”
The Nets' selection of Demin with their first lottery pick since 2010 drew widespread criticism. However, the rookie has impressed to start the season. He's shot 9-of-14 from three through three NBA appearances, including Brooklyn's preseason finale.
Demin made an impact against one of the NBA's top teams during the first clutch minutes of his career on Friday.
“That’s an amazing experience. To have a chance to play in those clutch minutes against a team like Cleveland,” the rookie said postgame. “They played super hard. We were trying to match their physicality, and we did a good job at the end of the game coming back from whatever we were down and giving ourselves a chance to win. I think that’s really important for me… It's about learning how to fight back. I think that’s something that we see in the NBA all the time, and it’s a little bit different from college.
“For me, it was important to really understand how to approach these types of situations, because this is something new for me at this level. I’ve been in a lot of clutch situations before, but again, it's just different [in the NBA].”
While Demin and Saraf are enjoying feature roles to start the year, Jordi Fernandez has said all of Brooklyn's rookies will receive an NBA opportunity at some point this season. With the Nets angling for a top draft pick, Traore, Powell and Wolf should see extended minutes as the year progresses.
“Just take advantage of those minutes. Don't take it for granted. Every minute is very important,” Fernandez said of his message to the rookies. “You have a guy behind you just desperate to go take advantage of those minutes, and that healthy competition within the group is going to just push each other to be better. [Egor] did a good job [against Cleveland]. Ben did a good job. And when Nolan is ready to play, he'll play, just ready on those minutes. I want them to to have that mindset.
