The NBA coaching pressure cooker has a few familiar names in it this season, and ESPN’s latest list puts Nick Nurse and Kenny Atkinson right in the middle of it.
ESPN identified five coaches “facing the most pressure to win,” and the group included David Adelman of the Nuggets, Nurse of the 76ers, Ime Udoka of the Rockets, Atkinson of the Cavaliers and Mitch Johnson of the reigning Western Conference Spurs. The common thread is simple: these are teams expected to contend, and in that kind of environment, patience tends to disappear fast.
For Nurse, the challenge in Philadelphia is all about making the pieces fit. LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and the rest all have to coexist in a way that actually works. If it doesn’t, the blame isn’t likely to land on the players.
“The primary puzzle Nurse must solve on the court is how to distribute touches and shots. James, Brown, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are all high-usage players, and VJ Edgecombe and Anfernee Simons also are talented scorers,” wrote ESPN’s Ben Golliver. “From there, Nurse will need to coax consistent defensive effort from veteran stars accustomed to being surrounded by high-energy role players.”
Nurse also has the added job of managing the minutes for James and Embiid, another layer on top of an already tricky balancing act.
Adelman’s situation in Denver comes with a different kind of burden. Golliver described it as a “tall coaching order,” noting that the Nuggets have lost Michael Porter Jr. and Watson over the past two offseasons. The additions this summer - DeMar DeRozan and Marvin Bagley III - were not framed as difference-makers.
“The Nuggets have lost Michael Porter Jr. and Watson over the past two offseasons, and this summer’s additions - DeMar DeRozan and Marvin Bagley III - don’t project as game changers,” he wrote. “If Denver’s playoff progress stagnates despite Jokic’s continued brilliance, Adelman could find himself stuck absorbing the heat.”
Udoka and Atkinson are dealing with a different kind of pressure: expectations that leave little room for a slow start or a long learning curve. It can become a make-or-break kind of season in a hurry, and unless a coach has the kind of job security Erik Spoelstra enjoys, the leash in today’s NBA is usually short.
Johnson’s spot is a little different, but the pressure is still real. He did a strong job guiding Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs’ young core to the Finals, but there were still questions about some of his decisions once they got there. That kind of scrutiny comes with the territory when a team starts losing games, and the Spurs have now had a taste of what it looks like when the stakes rise.
They want more. And if they don’t get it, the coach is usually the one who hears it first.
That’s the NBA. That’s coaching. And it makes sense that ESPN would put these five names at the top of the pressure list.
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