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The game of basketball is a living and breathing organism. NBA play styles from the 2020s are very different from the late 1990s. A lot of importance has now been placed on the perimeter more than ever and big men are expected to have the same skills as guards. The bout between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder was a big proof of this growth, especially when Victor Wembanyama went up against Chet Holmgren. While these two are the face of the big men revolution, it is actually a Cleveland Cavaliers coach who paved the way for these changes — Coach Kenny Atkinson.
How Cavs' Atkinson enabled Wembanyama, Holmgren and other big men to change basketball
Prior to Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren taking over the NBA with their insane chops as big men, the stretch seven-footer archetype was already introducing itself to the world. Brook Lopez was one of the first stars to have emerged from this revolution but he knows that the credit had to go to a certain coach that he worked with. It was none other than Coach Kenny Atkinson, who was part of the Brooklyn Nets organization prior to coaching the Cavs, via John Hollinger of The Athletic.
"Kenny Atkinson, when he got to Brooklyn, it was his idea because he was with Coach Bud in Atlanta when they were in that five-out offense. So, when he came over, he asked me if I’d be comfortable doing it. I was like, of course, yeah. And so, I just put a lot of work in that summer behind the line," Lopez declared.
Coach Atkinson helped Lopez a lot because of this new way of running the five-out offense. The Nets got their all-time leading scorer and the Milwaukee Bucks also benefitted from this because the big man was crucial to their 2021 NBA championship.
Fast forward to 2026, the Cavs coach's small efforts to shift schemes with the Nets have now impacted players like Wembanyama and Holmgren. The Thunder won their 2025 title because of this and the Spurs are well on their way to becoming a dynasty.
Wembanyama attempted an average of 5.5 three-pointers throughout the regular season and he knocks down 34.9% of them too. Holmgren also shoots about 3.5 three-pointers a night while he knocks down 36.2% of them. Soon enough, Coach Atkinson will also likely make Evan Mobley develop an outside shot to help Donovan Mitchell and James Harden execute their schemes better.
It is a great sight to see the NBA evolve through guys like Lopez, Holmgren and Wembanyama. But people should also learn that Coach Atkinson played a big role for why these two are thriving.
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