Heading into the 2026-27 season, the pressure on NBA coaches is rising, especially for those leading title contenders. After an offseason in which a long list of All-Star players changed teams, the five coaches facing the most intense scrutiny are led by Nick Nurse of the Philadelphia 76ers, who must integrate LeBron James and Jaylen Brown into a team built to win now.
This summer’s coaching carousel was driven largely by losing teams seeking fresh leadership. None of the six teams that made a coaching change won a 2026 playoff series, and four finished more than 10 games out of the play-in tournament races. The coaches on this list face a different test because their teams are expected to contend.
5. Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Atkinson has enjoyed more success than nearly all of his coaching peers since the Cavaliers hired him in 2024. The former Golden State Warriors assistant followed a 64-win season in 2024-25 with a 2026 Eastern Conference finals appearance, the franchise’s first without LeBron James since 1992.
Still, Atkinson’s Cavaliers have specialized in painful exits. In the 2025 playoffs, the top-seeded Cavs were knocked out in the second round by the upstart Indiana Pacers. This past spring, Cleveland was largely uncompetitive against the Knicks and was swept out of the East finals.
How many consecutive painful endings can one coach survive? That is the dilemma for Atkinson, who coaches an expensive, talent-rich roster with strong continuity. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert showed his commitment to winning this summer with generous deals for Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and newcomer Peyton Watson. 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 leaders. Atkinson must make sure the team plays its best basketball when it matters most.
4. David Adelman, Denver Nuggets
Coaches should beware of the post-championship backslide. Since winning the 2023 title, Nikola Jokic and the 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 its standard began to slip, just as Milwaukee fired Mike Budenholzer in 2023 after a pair of first-round exits.
Adelman replaced Malone just days before the 2025 postseason. Denver nearly reached the West finals that year, but it lost ground last season with a 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 the Bucks turned to the more decorated Doc Rivers. 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. His task is complicated by a flawed and incomplete roster.
Denver breathed a major sigh of relief when Jokic announced his intention to re-sign with the Nuggets next summer, but that does not reduce the pressure on Adelman. 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 needs better health from Aaron Gordon, a bounce-back season from Christian Braun, and a favorable draw in the playoff bracket. 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, 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. 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 flow during San Antonio’s 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 the Spurs won 62 games and eliminated the 2025 champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the West 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. Johnson must sort through 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, 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 defense and a high playoff seed, and the players appear refocused after their Finals finish. To whom much is given, much is expected, and Johnson must write a better ending this time.
2. Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets
Jamahl Mosley had the most success of the six coaches let go this summer, leading the Orlando Magic to 46 wins before a seven-game first-round loss to the Detroit Pistons. The Magic concluded that Mosley had received enough chances and handed the job to Sean Sweeney, who must deliver the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2010.
Udoka’s time with the Rockets mirrors Mosley’s. He has transformed a lottery team into a playoff team, but he has not gotten past 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 potential into results.
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 defeat that can either bring a group closer or fracture its chemistry. Udoka has some security from the lucrative long-term contract extension he signed in 2025, but the Rockets must turn the corner.
1. Nick Nurse, Philadelphia 76ers
Any coach worth his salt would embrace the challenge facing Nurse. Talent is a prerequisite for winning, and the new-look 76ers have assembled plenty of it.
Just two seasons ago, Nurse coached a hopeless 24-win team that started 2-12 and could barely keep franchise center Joel Embiid on the court. He survived that stretch, then guided the Sixers 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 James and 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. James’ presence ensures that team dynamics will face maximum scrutiny. That could play out in several ways. Erik Spoelstra withstood an early storm after James arrived in Miami in 2010 and guided the Heat to two championships. David Blatt did not make it through his second season in Cleveland 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 veteran who has paid his dues, has an accomplishment that separates him from Spoelstra, Blatt and Walton. He guided the 2019 Toronto Raptors to a title before James joined his team. Although Nurse’s career has never intersected with James, he enters the 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 accustomed to playing alongside high-energy role players.
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 handle the two stars’ game-to-game availability: both play, neither plays, only James plays, or only Embiid plays.
Finally, Nurse operates 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 offices do not always retain their predecessors’ coaches, and it can be tempting to oust the incumbent when an aspiring contender falls short.