The Brooklyn Nets emerged victorious on Saturday night in their matchup against the league-best Milwaukee Bucks.
Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson had nothing but good things to say about opposing coach Mike Budenholzer, who he happens to have worked with for three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. Speaking to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, Atksinson shared what type of impact Budelhonzer had on his career as a coach.
“I think it was just learning a whole new way of doing things, the San Antonio way, and how that all worked and getting up to speed on that,” Atkinson said. “Just a little bit of, not shocked, but it was a big change learning how he wanted things done. He coached me hard. He made me a better coach.”
Atkinson spent three years as Budelhonzer's assistant coach in Atlanta prior to being handed the head coaching job by Brooklyn in 2016.
The 51-year-old coach went on to share how he imbibed Budenholzer's unique attention to detail.
“With Bud, everything counts,” Atkinson said before Saturday’s game. “You talk about what I’ve learned from him, everything counts, every little thing. The type of forks you use in the cafeteria. That’s where Bud is always looking for an advantage wherever he can get it, whatever it looks like. That door handle’s not right, we’ve got to put it two inches higher. An amazing attention to detail.”
With how the Eastern Conference playoffs picture is currently shaping up, it's very much possible that Atkinson's Nets face off with Budenholzer's Bucks in the first round. Surely, it will be a great tactical battle between former mentor and student.
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