CLEVELAND (USA) - Good coaches are always learning. They're always studying the game, looking for ways to be better at their craft.
So when the opportunity to join Vincent Collet's France national team staff in 2023 opened up for veteran NBA coach Kenny Atkinson, who was working as an assistant coach to USA Basketball head coach Steve Kerr at Golden State, he jumped at the chance.
Fast forward to this summer when, on June 28, Atkinson was with the France national team as it prepared for the Olympics. Cleveland announced Atkinson as their new head coach.
He flew home and was unveiled to the media but then returned to Europe to work with the French.
With Les Bleus, Atkinson shared his expertise while at the same time gained important experience for himself in international basketball that would help him this NBA season.
He had an incredible time as a member of a staff that helped France go from early struggles to a spot in the Gold Medal Game.
"What do they say, 'When you travel you improve?'" he said in an interview with the Cavaliers media team. "I've moved around a lot (in the NBA and overseas), but it's been enriching experiences, from a basketball standpoint and also the culture.
"I take that all the way back to my European background, as a player and a coach. I've seen a lot of different ways of doing it.
When you travel, you improve
"Now, to have this kind of opportunity to use all of those kinds of tools in the toolbox to help our (Cleveland) players get better, the team get better and organizationally, there are things culturally that I have seen that can help and I'm really looking forward to collaborating with the front office on that type of stuff."
Atkinson's association with France has been a positive for him, for the national team and now for Cleveland, who won 119-113 over Chicago on Monday to become only the eighth team in NBA history to prevail in its first 12 games.
The last NBA team to have such a great start was Golden State in the 2015-16 campaign. The Warriors went on to win 24 games to start that season.
The great beginning in Cleveland has continued a wonderful 2024 for Atkinson.
If in America the French assistant coaching position didn't seem as prestigious an assignment as being on the USA bench at the Olympics, it was nevertheless a plum job.
With France, Atkinson got a chance to rub shoulders with one of the best and most experienced coaches in Europe for the past 15 years in Collet. He also had the opportunity to work with extremely talented players, France legends like Nando de Colo, Rudy Gobert, Nic Batum and rising stars like Victor Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly.
Atkinson got the French job because the federation was looking for a coach that could serve as a connection between the French team and its NBA players.
He had already been a head coach in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets and had more recently had the assistant coach gig at Golden State, working with Kerr.
Atkinson had played professionally in France, and had also begun his coaching career there, at Paris Basket Racing many years ago. So the French were getting a man that had a connection to the country already.
Working with France went well. Atkinson was not only a part of a team that reached the Gold Medal Game. He picked up some things that have helped him in Cleveland.
During the Cavs' great start to the season, Atkinson spoke about elements of both the Warriors offense and the France attack that might show up in Cleveland.
"I can definitely cherry pick stuff," Atkinson said to Cleveland.com. “In Golden State we played with two bigs a lot with Loon (Kevon Looney) and Draymond. Not saying that is J.A. (Jarrett Allen) and Evan (Mobley), but there are definitely some things you can do.
We talked about my experience in France. I can take things from that, too
"We talked about my experience in France and how we approach attacking a switch. It's different from the NBA. I can take things from that experience, too."
So Atkinson has his own ideas, yet will mix in components of other offensive attacks from teams that he has been a part of.
The fact that Atkinson will collaborate with Collet this season shows how much he values his input. The best coach from Paris 2024 will continue in his new role as Special Advisor to the National Technical Directorate of the French Basketball Federation yet also help his assistant on the France team.
"It mainly consists of watching all the games played by the Cavs, and giving him my comments and my feelings," Collet said. "And in between, I will also go there one week per month in general, to share more and exchange on the games and on the game in general."
That's perfect for Atkinson, the Cavs, Collet and France. All parties should benefit.
FIBA