NBA 2026-27 preview: Five coaches under the greatest pressure to deliver wins
Ahead of the 2026-27 season, the pressure on NBA coaches is set to intensify, particularly for those leading title contenders after a busy offseason in which a host of All-Star players changed teams. This summer’s coaching carousel was driven largely by losing sides: none of the six teams that changed coaches won a 2026 playoff series, and four finished more than 10 games out of the play-in race. Here are the five coaches facing the most intense scrutiny this season, beginning with a reigning Eastern Conference finalist at No. 5.
No. 5: Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Since the Cavaliers hired Kenny Atkinson in 2024, he has enjoyed more success than almost all of his coaching peers. The former Golden State Warriors assistant guided Cleveland to a sparkling 64-win season in 2024-25, then led the franchise to a 2026 East finals appearance, its first without LeBron James since 1992.
Yet the Cavaliers have repeatedly suffered painful exits. In the 2025 playoffs, the top-seeded Cavs were blown off the court in the second round by the upstart Indiana Pacers. In 2026, Cleveland was largely uncompetitive against the New York Knicks and was swept out of the East finals.
How many consecutive agonising endings can one coach survive? Atkinson benefits from an expensive, talent-rich roster with strong continuity. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert backed the team with generous deals this summer for Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and newcomer Peyton Watson. Cleveland also retained its big man pairing of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, who will combine to earn $78 million this season, despite lineup fit questions and inconsistent playoff performances. The pieces are in place for Cleveland to remain among the East’s leading contenders, so the question is what Atkinson can do to ensure his team performs when it matters most.
No. 4: David Adelman, Denver Nuggets
Coaches should beware of the post-championship backslide. Since winning the 2023 title, Nikola Jokic‘s Nuggets have followed a path similar to that of the Milwaukee Bucks after Giannis Antetokounmpo led them to the 2021 championship. Denver fired Michael Malone in 2025 once its standards began to slip, just as Milwaukee dismissed Mike Budenholzer in 2023 after a pair of first-round exits.
Now the spotlight falls on David Adelman, who replaced Malone just days before the 2025 postseason. Denver nearly reached the West finals that year, but it lost further ground last season with a poor first-round defeat to the undermanned Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Milwaukee comparison is ominous. Adrian Griffin, Budenholzer’s replacement, was a first-time head coach who did not last long before Doc Rivers, a more decorated alternative, took over. Like Griffin, Adelman is a relatively inexperienced head coach tasked with contending for titles and shaping the remaining prime years of an MVP-level franchise player. Like Griffin, he must also work with a flawed and incomplete roster.
Jokic’s announcement on Monday that he intends to re-sign with Denver next summer brought a major sigh of relief, but it does not significantly reduce the pressure on Adelman to restore the franchise’s momentum. Jokic averaged a 27-point triple-double last season and finished in the top two in MVP voting for the sixth straight season, so Adelman cannot realistically ask more of his star. Instead, he can hope for better health from forward Aaron Gordon and a bounce-back season from guard Christian Braun. The Nuggets have lost Michael Porter Jr. and Watson over the past two offseasons, and this summer’s additions, DeMar DeRozan and Marvin Bagley III, do not project as game changers. If Denver’s playoff progress stagnates, Adelman could be left absorbing the heat.
No. 3: Mitch Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
Johnson has got off too lightly for how poorly the Spurs played at times in their NBA Finals loss to the Knicks. San Antonio’s youth and inexperience were serious problems, and franchise centre Victor Wembanyama was not quite ready to take control of the series. However, the 39-year-old Johnson’s own inexperience played a part. He refused to change his starting lineup or make major rotation adjustments as his team repeatedly blew leads, and he lost control of the game’s flow during the unforgettable Game 4 defeat.
The Spurs are hardly a reckless organisation. Johnson, who succeeded the legendary Gregg Popovich, is their second coach in nearly 30 years. Nevertheless, the youth excuse no longer holds. Wembanyama is arguably the NBA’s best player, and San Antonio won 62 games and eliminated the 2025 champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on the road.
Johnson has arguably the league’s most enviable collection of talent, and San Antonio will return all its key players while adding veteran forward Tobias Harris. He must decide how to manage a glut of guards, including De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, and refine Wembanyama’s offensive impact in late-game situations. Johnson was unwilling to bench Fox for poor play last season, yet that is the kind of decision that sometimes has to be made to maximise a team’s potential. The good news is that Wembanyama’s presence virtually guarantees elite team defence and a high playoff seed, and his players appear refocused after their disappointing Finals finish. To whom much is given, much is expected, and Johnson must write a better ending this time.
No. 2: Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets
Six coaches were dismissed this summer, and Jamahl Mosley enjoyed the most success of them. He led the Orlando Magic to 46 wins before a seven-game first-round loss to the Detroit Pistons. Ultimately, Orlando decided Mosley had been given enough chances, and Sean Sweeney now has the task of delivering the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2010.
Ime Udoka‘s situation in Houston mirrors Mosley’s time in Orlando. Udoka has transformed a lottery team into a playoff team, but he has failed to get past the first round in multiple attempts despite a talented young roster. With the Rockets committing big money to Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, the time has come for Udoka to turn that potential into tangible success.
There is encouraging news: veteran guard Fred VanVleet returns after missing last season with a knee injury, and Houston did not lose any crucial rotation players this summer. Serious questions remain, however, about the team’s ability to create enough space on offence and execute in close games. Udoka built his reputation as a defensively minded coach, and he must find creative answers to the scoring issues. Houston’s collapse against the Luka Doncic-less Lakers in last season’s first round was the sort of painful defeat that can either bring a group closer together or fracture its chemistry. Udoka has some security thanks to the lucrative long-term contract extension he signed in 2025, but the Rockets must now turn the corner.
No. 1: Nick Nurse, Philadelphia 76ers
Any coach worth his salt would embrace the challenge facing Nick Nurse. Talent is a prerequisite for winning, and the new-look 76ers have assembled a great deal of it. Only two seasons ago, Nurse was coaching a hopeless 24-win team that started 2-12 and could barely keep franchise centre Joel Embiid on the court. He survived that disaster, then guided Philadelphia to an unexpected first-round series win over the rival Boston Celtics last season. He also watched longtime general manager Daryl Morey get fired in June, and then LeBron James and Jaylen Brown landed in his lap. It is a remarkable change of fortune.
The catch is that the 76ers, who have not reached the Eastern Conference finals since 2001, are now in championship-or-bust mode, and James’ presence means their team dynamics will face maximum scrutiny. That pressure could play out in several ways. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra weathered an early storm after James arrived in 2010 and went on to guide Miami to two championships. David Blatt did not make it through his second season with the Cleveland Cavaliers once James returned in 2014. With the Los Angeles Lakers, Luke Walton lasted only one season after James joined in 2018, and the Lakers went through four head coaches during the four-time MVP’s eight campaigns in Los Angeles.
Nurse, a creative coaching lifer who has paid his dues, has an accomplishment that sets him apart from Spoelstra, Blatt and Walton: he guided the 2019 Toronto Raptors to the title before James joined a team. Although Nurse’s career has never previously intersected with James, he enters the relationship with championship validation already in hand.
The primary puzzle on the court is how to distribute touches and shots. James, Brown, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are all high-usage players, while VJ Edgecombe and Anfernee Simons are also talented scorers. Nurse must also draw consistent defensive effort from veteran stars accustomed to playing alongside high-energy role players. Managing availability is another challenge. Over the past six seasons, the chronically injured Embiid has averaged 47 games played, and James, now 41, has averaged 60. Nurse should prepare four different rotations to cover the two stars’ game-to-game availability: both play, neither plays, only James, or only Embiid.
Finally, Nurse will work knowing that Morey, the executive who hired him in 2023, has been replaced by president of HBSE sports Bob Myers and president of basketball operations Mike Gansey. New front office leaders do not always hire their own coaches, but it can be tempting to remove the incumbent if an aspiring contender falls short.
