The Brooklyn Nets hired head coach Kenny Atkinson three years ago today. The Nets won 20 games in Atkinson's first year as coach and 28 the following season. Pretty much everyone who covers the league expected the Nets' rebuild to be a slow process.
And yet here the Nets are in 2019 in the playoffs. Brooklyn won 42 games in the regular season and clinched a postseason spot for the first time since 2015. Atkinson, who reportedly got an extension this season, says the franchise is “ahead of schedule” when it comes to this rebuild:
The #Nets hired Kenny Atkinson 3 years ago today, and have gone from the worst team in the #NBA to the playoffs vs. the #Sixers: "It’s hard to believe quite honestly. We’re ahead of schedule and proud of that."
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) April 17, 2019
The Nets have rebuilt their roster through trades and free-agent signings since they haven't had many draft picks over the past couple of seasons. Getting D'Angelo Russell from the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2017 was a big move that, at the time, many people overlooked given Russell's tenure in Los Angeles.
Russell made his first All-Star team this season and has established himself as one of the top young players in the league. The Nets signed Spencer Dinwiddie in 2016 and traded for Caris LeVert. Drafting Jarrett Allen in 2017 was a big move as well, as Allen is one of the best shot blockers in the NBA.
You have to feel good for Atkinson. No one thought the team was going to make the playoffs this season. If Brooklyn is able to get a star player in free agency this summer, the squad could be a real problem next season.
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