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Former Knicks assistant emerging as favorite for Raptors head coach vacancy

By Jordanna Clark

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 22: R.J. Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks stands in front of the Toronto Raptors bench during the second half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on January 22, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 22: R.J. Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks stands in front of the Toronto Raptors bench during the second half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on January 22, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /
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The New York Knicks’ division rival over in Canada wasn’t able to advance past the play-in tournament and after their season, fired head coach Nick Nurse. Since then, Nurse has been named the head coach of the Sixers. The Bucks, Pistons, and Suns have all found their new coaches as well, meaning that the NBA world is waiting to learn who the Raptors will pick.

Toronto’s had the wildest coaching search, interviewing former NBA players JJ Redick and Steve Nash. Becky Hammon, who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, also had an interview. If Hammon does return to the league, it’s more likely that she’ll do so when Gregg Popovich calls it quits with the Spurs.

Jordi Fernández, the Kings’ associate head coach, was believed to be a frontrunner for his first NBA head coaching gig, but according to Toronto Star’s Doug Smith, both Fernández and Nash weren’t awarded second interviews. Smith added that the coaches that are still in the running for the vacancy “is a deeply held secret.”

NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported that Kenny Atkinson is a finalist to be Toronto’s head coach. Smith didn’t mention Atkinson no longer being a candidate. The 56-year-old has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the Warriors. He was named the head coach of the Hornets last offseason but changed his mind about the role shortly after.

Will former Knicks assistant Kenny Atkinson be Raptors’ next head coach?

Kenny Atkinson’s NBA coaching career started in 2008 when he was an assistant coach for the Knicks under Mike D’Antoni. In 2012, he took the same position with the Hawks before getting a head coaching opportunity with the Nets in 2016.

After missing the playoffs the first two seasons in Brooklyn, Atkinson guided the team to the playoffs in 2019. He was close to doing the same in 2020 but was fired midway through the season shortly after a Nets victory over the Spurs. In the NBA Bubble, Brooklyn was swept by Toronto in the first round.

Atkinson helped guide the Nets back to relevancy before Nash took over. It was believed that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who joined Brooklyn in 2019, wanted Atkinson out. He was a candidate to be the Knicks’ head coach in 2020 but was beaten out by Tom Thibodeau.

Now, four years later, Atkinson will have another chance to be a head coach in the Atlantic Division. His competition for the role is Sergio Scariolo, who was a Raptors assistant coach from 2018-2021. Scariolo currently serves as the head coach of Virtus Bologna, an Italian professional team.

Scariolo has a history in Toronto, but Atkinson would be a good fit for a Raptors organization that’s trying to pull itself back out of mediocrity. The Nets would’ve likely fared better if they had kept Atkinson back in 2020, but it’s a good thing for Knicks fans that Brooklyn decided to tear itself down from the inside.

Will Kenny Atkinson soon be named the next head coach of the Raptors?

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