NBA Preview 2026-27: Five Coaches Under the Most Pressure to Win
The pressure on NBA coaches is about to intensify. None of the six teams that changed coaches this summer won a 2026 playoff series, and the coaches of the league’s top contenders now face the sharpest scrutiny. Here are the five coaches under the most intense spotlight as the 2026-27 season approaches, starting with a reigning Eastern Conference finalist at No. 5.
5. Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Atkinson has achieved more than almost all of his coaching peers since the Cavaliers hired him in 2024. The former Golden State Warriors assistant followed a sparkling 64-win season in 2024-25 with a 2026 East finals appearance, the franchise’s first without LeBron James since 1992.
Still, Atkinson’s Cavaliers have specialized in crash landings. 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 painful endings can one coach survive? That is the dilemma facing Atkinson, who coaches an expensive, talent-rich roster with strong continuity. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert showed his commitment to winning this summer by signing Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and newcomer Peyton Watson to generous deals. Cleveland also kept 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. The question is whether Atkinson can help his team put its best foot forward when it matters most.
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 title. Denver fired Michael Malone in 2025 once the team’s standard started to slip, just as Milwaukee fired Mike Budenholzer in 2023 after a pair of first-round exits.
Now the attention turns to Adelman, who replaced Malone just days before the 2025 postseason. Denver nearly reached the West finals in 2025, but it lost ground last season with a lackluster first-round loss to the undermanned Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Milwaukee comparison casts an ominous shadow. 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 prime years of an MVP-level franchise player. Like Griffin, he must also work around a flawed and incomplete roster.
Denver breathed a major sigh of relief Monday when Jokic announced his intention to re-sign with the Nuggets next summer, but that does not reduce the pressure on Adelman to reverse the franchise’s momentum. Adelman cannot realistically ask more of Jokic, who averaged a 27-point triple-double last season and finished in the top two in MVP voting for the sixth straight season. Adelman 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 stalls despite Jokic’s brilliance, Adelman could be left absorbing the heat.
3. Mitch Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
Johnson got off too easily for how poorly the Spurs performed at times in their NBA Finals loss to the New York Knicks. San Antonio’s youth and inexperience were serious issues, and franchise center Victor Wembanyama was not quite ready to seize control of the series. But the 39-year-old Johnson’s own inexperience was a factor too. He refused to change his starting lineup or make major rotation changes as his team repeatedly blew leads, and he completely lost control of the game flow during the unforgettable Game 4 loss.
The Spurs are not a rash organization. Johnson, who succeeded the legendary Gregg Popovich, is their second coach in nearly 30 years. However, the youth excuse no longer applies. 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 arguably has the league’s most enviable collection of talent, and San Antonio will return all its key players while adding veteran forward Tobias Harris. The Spurs must sort through their glut of guards, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, and refine Wembanyama’s offensive impact in late-game situations. Johnson was entirely unwilling to bench Fox for poor play last season, but that is the type of decision that sometimes must be made to maximize a team’s potential.
The good news is that Wembanyama’s presence virtually guarantees an elite team defense and a high playoff seed. His players also appear refocused after their disappointing Finals finish, and they enjoyed quality bonding time together in France this summer. But to whom much is given, much is expected. Johnson must write a better ending this time.
2. Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets
Jamahl Mosley had the most success of the six coaches who were let go this summer. He led the Orlando Magic to 46 wins and a seven-game first-round playoff loss to the Detroit Pistons. Ultimately, the Magic decided Mosley had received enough chances, and Sean Sweeney now gets the job of delivering the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2010.
Udoka’s path with the Rockets mirrors Mosley’s time in Orlando. Udoka has transformed a lottery team into a playoff team, but he has been unable to get out of the first round in multiple tries despite a talented young roster. With Houston committing big money to Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, it is time for Udoka to turn that potential into real success.
The good news is that veteran guard Fred VanVleet will return after missing last season with a knee injury, and Houston did not lose any crucial rotation players this summer. The bad news is that serious questions remain about the Rockets’ ability to create enough spacing on offense and execute in close games. Udoka, who built his reputation as a defensive-minded coach, must find creative answers to the scoring issues.
Houston’s collapse in last season’s first round against the Luka Doncic-less Lakers was the type of painful defeat that can either pull a group closer together or fracture its chemistry. Udoka has some peace of mind from a lucrative long-term contract extension he signed in 2025, but the time has come for the Rockets to turn the corner.
1. Nick Nurse, Philadelphia 76ers
Any coach worth his salt would embrace the challenge and opportunity facing Nurse. Talent is a prerequisite for winning, and the new-look 76ers have assembled a great deal of it.
Just two seasons ago, Nurse coached a hopeless 24-win team that got off to a 2-12 start and could barely keep franchise center Joel Embiid on the court. He survived that disaster. He then guided the Sixers to an unexpected first-round playoff series win over the rival Boston Celtics last season, watched longtime general manager Daryl Morey get fired in June, and had James and Jaylen Brown fall into 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. James’ presence ensures their team dynamics will face maximum scrutiny.
That scrutiny could play out in several ways. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra withstood an early storm after James arrived in 2010 and guided Miami to two championships. David Blatt did not make it through his second season with the Cleveland Cavaliers once James returned in 2014. Luke Walton lasted only one season with the Los Angeles Lakers after James arrived in 2018, and the Lakers cycled through four head coaches during the four-time MVP’s eight campaigns in L.A.
Nurse, a creative coaching lifer who has paid his dues, holds a major credential that sets him apart from Spoelstra, Blatt and Walton. He guided the 2019 Toronto Raptors to the championship before James joined his team. Although Nurse’s career path has never previously intersected with James, he enters the new relationship with championship validation already in hand.
The primary puzzle Nurse must solve on the court is how to distribute touches and shots. James, Brown, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are all high-usage players, and VJ Edgecombe and Anfernee Simons are also talented scorers. Nurse must also coax consistent defensive effort from veteran stars who are accustomed to playing alongside high-energy role players.
Nurse also needs to manage James and Embiid with the playoffs in mind. 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 handle the two stars’ game-to-game availability: both play, neither plays, only James, or only Embiid.
Finally, Nurse will operate knowing that Morey, the executive who hired him in 2023, has been replaced by Bob Myers, president of HBSE sports, and Mike Gansey, president of basketball operations. New front office regimes do not always keep their predecessors’ coaches, and it can be tempting to oust the incumbent if an aspiring contender falls short.
