NEW YORK — The pressure is going to ratchet up dramatically next season, and Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson knows it.
Increased responsibilities. Increased expectations. Increased scrutiny.
Yet Atkinson, who should finally be able to utilize the superstar duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in 2020-21 — assuming they’re both healthy — will always be in player-development mode.
That much was apparent during a December practice in Brooklyn, when the Long Island native issued a physical challenge to Jarrett Allen, going mano-a-mano with his tantalizing 21-year-old center during an intense contact drill.