ESPN ranked Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson fifth among NBA coaches facing the most pressure to win entering the 2026-27 season.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson ranked fifth Thursday on ESPN's list of the five NBA coaches facing the most pressure to win during the 2026-27 season.
Ben Golliver, who compiled the ranking for ESPN, put Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse first. Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka was second, San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson was third, and Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman was fourth.
Golliver wrote that Atkinson's Cavaliers "have specialized in crash landings," pointing to the end of each of the last two postseasons.
Atkinson Has Delivered Regular-Season Success
In 2024-25, his first season in Cleveland, Atkinson led the Cavaliers to a 64-18 record and the top seed in the Eastern Conference. He won NBA Coach of the Year with 59 first-place votes.
The Indiana Pacers eliminated Cleveland in five games in the second round.
Cleveland finished last season 52-30, earning the East's No. 4 playoff seed. The Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors in seven games in the first round.
In the conference semifinals against top-seeded Detroit, they lost the first two games on the road but rallied to win Game 7, 125-94, in Detroit on May 17 and clinch the series.
That run sent Cleveland to the conference finals for the first time since 2018, and without LeBron James for the first time since 1992. The New York Knicks won the series in a sweep.
Cavaliers Invest Heavily in Current Core
Donovan Mitchell agreed July 7 to a four-year, $273 million extension with a player option on the final season.
James Harden declined a $42.3 million player option for 2026-27 and re-signed on a three-year, $97 million contract that the Cavaliers announced Sept. 8.
The 2018 MVP came over from the LA Clippers in a Feb. 4 trade for Darius Garland and averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists in 26 regular-season games with Cleveland. He turned 37 on Aug. 26.
Peyton Watson joined the team in August as part of a five-team deal that sent Max Strus to the Clippers and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick to Denver.
The 30th overall pick in 2022, Watson signed a four-year, $88 million contract. He started 40 games for the Nuggets last season, averaging career highs of 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.
Mobley, Allen Add to Cleveland's Expectations
Golliver wrote that Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen will combine to earn $78 million this season.
Mobley was the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year.
Cleveland opens the preseason Oct. 8 against the Boston Celtics at Rocket Arena.
The regular season begins Thursday, Oct. 22, in Philadelphia against Nurse and the 76ers at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The home opener is Oct. 24 against the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET.
