By Ben Golliver / ESPN, 2026-10-01 19:00:00
今年夏天的NBA教练市场变动，主要由那些战绩不佳、寻求新声音的球队推动：六支更换主教练的球队中，没有一支在2026年季后赛中赢下系列赛，其中四支距离附加赛席位还差了超过10个胜场。
预计2026-27赛季将是截然不同的局面。在这个忙碌的休赛期，一长串全明星球员改换门庭之后，那些被寄予争冠厚望的球队主教练，肩上的压力将陡然升级。
基于此，让我们对即将到来的赛季中面临最严苛审视的五位主教练进行排名，从第5位的卫冕东部决赛球队主帅开始。
5. 肯尼·阿特金森 (Kenny Atkinson)，克利夫兰骑士
自2024年被骑士队聘用以来，阿特金森取得的成就几乎超过了所有同行。这位前金州勇士队助教在2024-25赛季率领骑士打出耀眼的64胜之后，又在2026年带队闯入东部决赛——这是球队自1992年以来首次在没有勒布朗·詹姆斯的情况下打进东决。
遗憾的是，阿特金森的骑士队却屡屡上演“高开低走”的戏码。2025年季后赛，以头号种子身份出战的骑士在第二轮被黑马印第安纳步行者打得毫无还手之力；2026年东部决赛，骑士又被尼克斯横扫出局，全程几乎毫无竞争力。
一位主教练能承受多少次接连不断的痛苦结局？这正是阿特金森面临的困境。好在他执教的是一套薪资高昂、天赋出众且延续性极强的阵容。
骑士老板丹·吉尔伯特今年夏天用丰厚的合同续约了多诺万·米切尔、詹姆斯·哈登，并引进了新援佩顿·沃特森，展示了对争冠的持续投入。与此同时，骑士保留了 Evan Mobley 和贾勒特·艾伦的内线组合——尽管两人在阵容适配性和季后赛表现稳定性上存在疑问，他们本赛季的合计薪水将达到7800万美元。
骑士冲击东部顶级争冠行列的拼图依然齐整。阿特金森要如何确保球队在最关键的时刻拿出最佳状态？
4. 大卫·阿德尔曼 (David Adelman)，丹佛掘金
给所有教练的忠告：当心夺冠后的滑坡。
自2023年夺冠以来，尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokic) 领衔的掘金，正走在与密尔沃基雄鹿相似的道路上——后者曾在扬尼斯·阿德托昆博带领下于2021年登顶。当球队水准开始下滑时，掘金在2025年解雇了前主帅迈克尔·马龙，正如雄鹿在连续两轮首轮出局后，于2023年解雇了前主帅迈克·布登霍尔泽。
如今，焦点转向了阿德尔曼——他在2025年季后赛开打前几天接替了马龙。虽然掘金在2025年险些打进西部决赛，但上赛季他们以敷衍了事的表现首轮不敌阵容残缺的明尼苏达森林狼，退步明显。
雄鹿的前车之鉴投下了不祥的阴影：布登霍尔泽的继任者阿德里安·格里芬是一位初掌教鞭的主教练，没多久便被资历更深的道格·里弗斯取代。与格里芬一样，阿德尔曼也是一位相对缺乏经验的主教练，肩负着争冠重任，还要规划一位MVP级别球队门面所剩不多的巅峰岁月。而且与格里芬一样，球队阵容的缺陷与不完整，也让阿德尔曼实现这些目标的难度倍增。
当约基奇周一宣布有意在明年夏天与掘金续约时，丹佛上下如释重负，但这并不必然减轻阿德尔曼扭转球队颓势的压力。
阿德尔曼实在无法向约基奇要求更多了——后者上赛季场均轰下27分的三双数据，并连续第六个赛季在MVP投票中位列前二。这位教练只能寄望于前锋阿隆·戈登恢复健康、后卫克里斯蒂安·布劳恩迎来反弹赛季，并且最好祈祷掘金在季后赛对阵图上与森林狼分处不同半区。
尽管如此，这对教练而言仍是一项艰巨任务。过去两个休赛期，掘金先后失去了小迈克尔·波特和沃特森，而今年夏天引进的德玛尔·德罗赞和马文·巴格利三世，看起来也难以成为改变战局的球员。如果约基奇继续大放异彩而掘金的季后赛进程却停滞不前，阿德尔曼可能会发现自己成了那个背锅的人。
3. 米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson)，圣安东尼奥马刺
事后来看，对于马刺在总决赛不敌纽约尼克斯期间时而不佳的表现，约翰逊受到的问责实在太轻了。
诚然，圣安东尼奥的年轻与经验不足是严重问题，球队门面中锋维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 也尚未做好完全掌控系列赛的准备。但这位39岁的约翰逊自身的年轻与经验不足同样是因素之一。当球队不断挥霍领先优势时，他拒绝调整首发阵容或对轮换做出重大改变，而在马刺令人难忘的第四场失利中，他更是完全失去了对比赛节奏的掌控。
马刺绝非行事冲动的组织：接替传奇名帅格雷格·波波维奇的约翰逊，是球队近30年来的第二位主教练。话虽如此，如今“年轻”的借口已不再适用——文班亚马已堪称NBA最佳球员，而马刺上赛季豪取62胜，并在西部决赛抢七大战中客场淘汰了2025年冠军俄克拉荷马城雷霆。
约翰逊手中握有堪称全联盟最令人艳羡的天赋阵容，圣安东尼奥将保留全部核心球员，并引进老将前锋托拜厄斯·哈里斯。马刺必须理清如何调配拥挤的后卫群——达龙·福克斯、斯蒂芬·卡斯尔和迪伦·哈珀——并提升文班亚马在关键时刻的进攻影响力。上赛季约翰逊完全不愿因表现不佳而将福克斯按在板凳上，但为了最大化球队潜力，这类决断有时是必须做出的。
对约翰逊而言，好消息是文班亚马的存在几乎保证了球队拥有顶级防守和高位季后赛种子。此外，球员们在苦涩的总决赛收官后似乎已重新专注，今年夏天他们还在法国度过了一段高质量的团队磨合时光。
但能力越大，责任越大。这一次，约翰逊必须设法书写一个更好的结局。
2. 伊梅·乌多卡 (Ime Udoka)，休斯顿火箭
在今夏被解雇的六位教练中，贾马尔·莫斯利的战绩最为出色，他率领奥兰多魔术取得46胜，并在季后赛首轮与底特律活塞鏖战七场后落败。最终，魔术认定给莫斯利的机会已经够多，该轮到肖恩·斯威尼来尝试为球队带来自2010年以来的首场季后赛系列赛胜利了。
乌多卡在火箭的轨迹与莫斯利在魔术的经历如出一辙：乌多卡将一支乐透球队改造成了季后赛球队，但尽管麾下拥有一批天赋异禀的年轻人，他多次冲击却始终无法突破首轮。随着休斯顿为凯文·杜兰特、阿尔佩伦·申京和阿门·汤普森投入重金，乌多卡是时候将球队的潜力转化为实实在在的成功了。
对乌多卡而言，好消息是老将后卫弗雷德·范弗利特将在因膝伤缺席整个上赛季后重返赛场，而且火箭今年夏天没有失去任何关键轮换球员。
坏消息呢？关于火箭能否在进攻端拉开足够空间、以及在胶着比赛中执行到位的质疑依然存在。以防守型教练成名的乌多卡，必须证明自己能为得分难题找到创造性的解决方案。
上赛季首轮，火箭在被缺少卢卡·东契奇的湖人淘汰时遭遇崩盘，这种惨痛的失利既可能让球队更加团结，也可能撕裂球队化学反应。尽管乌多卡凭借2025年签下的丰厚长期续约合同获得了一定的安全感，但火箭实现质变的时刻已经到来。
1. 尼克·纳斯 (Nick Nurse)，费城76人
任何有真本事的教练都会欣然迎接纳斯所面临的挑战与机遇。天赋是赢球的前提，而焕然一新的76人已经囤积了大量的天赋。
就在两个赛季前，纳斯还在执教一支毫无希望的24胜球队——开局2胜12负，球队门面中锋乔尔·恩比德几乎无法保持健康出场。纳斯挺过了那场灾难。随后，他率领76人在上赛季季后赛首轮爆冷击败宿敌波士顿凯尔特人，目睹了效力多年的总经理达雷尔·莫雷在6月被解雇，又迎来了詹姆斯和杰伦·布朗的加盟。命运的转折实在令人难以置信。
当然，代价是：自2001年以来从未打进东部决赛的76人，如今已进入“不夺冠即失败”的模式，而詹姆斯的存在也注定让球队的内部动态受到最严苛的审视。
这可能以几种不同的方式上演。迈阿密热火主帅埃里克·斯波尔斯特拉在詹姆斯2010年加盟初期顶住了风暴，最终率领迈阿密两夺总冠军。前骑士主帅大卫·布拉特则在詹姆斯2014年回归后，没能撑过执教球队的第二个赛季。而在洛杉矶湖人，卢克·沃顿在詹姆斯2018年加盟后仅执教了一个赛季；在这位四届MVP效力湖人的八个赛季里，球队先后更换了四位主教练。
纳斯是一位历经磨砺、极富创造力的资深教练，他的履历上有一项斯波尔斯特拉、布拉特和沃顿都不具备的重大成就：在詹姆斯加盟之前，他就曾率队夺冠（2019年的多伦多猛龙）。尽管纳斯曲折的执教生涯此前从未与詹姆斯产生交集，但这段新的合作关系开启时，他已手握冠军教头的认证。
纳斯在球场上必须解决的首要难题，是如何分配球权和出手权。詹姆斯、布朗、恩比德和泰瑞斯·马克西都是高球权使用率的球员，VJ·埃奇库姆和安芬尼·西蒙斯也是天赋出众的得分手。除此之外，纳斯还需要促使那些习惯了被高能量角色球员环绕的老将球星，保持稳定的防守投入。
此外，还有如何以季后赛为着眼点来管理詹姆斯和恩比德的问题。过去六个赛季，饱受伤病困扰的恩比德场均出战47场，而如今已41岁的詹姆斯场均出战60场。纳斯应该准备好四套不同的轮换方案，以应对两位球星逐场的出勤情况（两人都打、两人都不打、只有詹姆斯打、只有恩比德打）。
最后，纳斯还要在一种认知下开展工作：2023年聘用他的莫雷已被HBSE体育总裁鲍勃·迈尔斯和篮球运营总裁迈克·甘西取代。新的管理层未必总是聘用自己属意的教练，但如果这支雄心勃勃的争冠球队未能达到预期，换掉现任主帅的诱惑总是存在的。
由生成式 AI 翻译，翻译内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
查看原文：NBA preview 2026-27: Five coaches facing the most pressure to win
NBA preview 2026-27: Five coaches facing the most pressure to win
This summer’s NBA coaching carousel was largely driven by losing teams seeking a new voice: None of the six teams that made a coaching change won a 2026 playoff series, while four finished more than 10 games out of the play-in tournament races.
Expect a much different dynamic during the 2026-27 campaign. After a busy offseason that saw a laundry list of All-Star players change scenery, the pressure will be ramped up on coaches of teams expected to contend for a title.
With that in mind, let’s rank the five coaches facing the most intense scrutiny during the upcoming season, starting at No. 5 with a reigning Eastern Conference finalist.
5. Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Atkinson has had more success than almost all his coaching colleagues since he was hired by the Cavaliers in 2024. The former Golden State Warriors assistant followed up a sparkling 64-win season for Cleveland in 2024-25 with a 2026 East finals appearance, the franchise’s first without LeBron James since 1992.
Unfortunately, Atkinson’s Cavaliers have specialized in crash landings. During the 2025 playoffs, the top-seeded Cavs were blown off the court in the second round by the upstart Indiana Pacers, and Cleveland was largely uncompetitive against the Knicks while being swept out of the 2026 East finals.
How many consecutive agonizing endings can one coach survive? That’s the dilemma for Atkinson, who gets the benefit of coaching an expensive and talent-rich roster that boasts strong continuity.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert showed his continued commitment to winning this summer with generous deals for Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and newcomer Peyton Watson. Meanwhile, Cleveland 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 remain in place for Cleveland to remain among the East’s leading contenders. What can Atkinson do to make sure his team puts its best foot forward when it matters most?
4. David Adelman, Denver Nuggets
Warning to all coaches: Beware of the post-championship backslide.
Since winning the 2023 title, Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets have traveled a similar path to that of the Milwaukee Bucks after Giannis Antetokounmpo led them to the 2021 title. The Nuggets fired former coach Michael Malone in 2025 once their standard started to slip, just as the Bucks fired former coach 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. While Denver nearly reached the West finals in 2025, it lost more ground last season with a perfunctory 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 didn’t last long before he was replaced by a more decorated alternative in Doc Rivers. 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. And, like Griffin, Adelman’s ability to achieve those goals is complicated by his team’s flawed and incomplete roster.
While Denver breathed a major sign of relief Monday when Jokic announced his intention to re-sign with the Nuggets next summer, that doesn’t necessarily reduce the pressure on Adelman to reverse the franchise’s momentum.
Adelman can’t really ask more from Jokic, who averaged a 27-point triple-double last season and finished in the top two in MVP voting for the sixth straight season. The coach can hope for better health for forward Aaron Gordon and a bounce-back season from guard Christian Braun, and Adelman should hope that Denver lands on the opposite side of the playoff bracket from Minnesota.
Still, this is a tall coaching order. 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 – don’t project as game changers. If Denver’s playoff progress stagnates despite Jokic’s continued brilliance, Adelman could find himself stuck absorbing the heat.
3. Mitch Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
In hindsight, Johnson got off way too easy for how poorly the Spurs performed at times in their NBA Finals loss to the New York Knicks.
Yes, San Antonio’s youth and inexperience were serious issues, and franchise center Victor Wembanyama wasn’t quite prepared to seize control of the series. But the 39-year-old Johnson’s own youth and inexperience were factors too. He refused to change his starting lineup or make major rotation changes as his team continually blew leads, and he completely lost control of the game flow during San Antonio’s unforgettable Game 4 loss.
The Spurs are the opposite of a rash organization: Johnson, who succeeded the legendary Gregg Popovich, is their second coach in nearly 30 years. With that said, the youth excuse no longer applies now that Wembanyama is arguably the NBA’s best player and after the Spurs 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 NBA’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 how to handle their glut of guards – De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper – and refine Wembanyama’s offensive impact in late-game situations. While Johnson was entirely unwilling to bench Fox for poor play last season, that’s the type of decision that sometimes must be made to maximize a team’s potential.
The good news for Johnson is that Wembanyama’s presence virtually guarantees an elite team defense and a high playoff seed. What’s more, his players appear refocused after their sour Finals finish, and they enjoyed some quality bonding time together in France this summer.
But to whom much is given, much is expected. Johnson must find a way to 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, leading the Orlando Magic to 46 wins and a seven-game first-round playoff series loss to the Detroit Pistons. Ultimately, the Magic concluded that Mosley had been given enough chances and it was Sean Sweeney’s turn to try to deliver the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2010.
Udoka’s path with the Rockets mirrors Mosley’s time with the Magic: 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 dollars to Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, it’s officially time for Udoka to translate his team’s potential into actualized success.
The good news for Udoka is that veteran guard Fred VanVleet will return to the court after missing last season with a knee injury and Houston didn’t lose any crucial rotation players this summer.
The bad news? Serious questions linger about the Rockets’ ability to create enough spacing on offense and execute in close games. Udoka, who made his name as a defensive-minded coach, must prove he can 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 pull a group closer together or fracture its chemistry. While Udoka has some peace of mind thanks to a lucrative long-term contract extension he signed in 2025, 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 an awful lot of it.
Just two seasons ago, Nurse was stuck coaching a hopeless 24-win team that got off to a 2-12 start and could barely keep franchise center Joel Embiid on the court. Nurse survived that trainwreck. 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 in his lap. What a truly incredible change of fortune.
Of course, the catch: The 76ers, who haven’t reached the Eastern Conference finals since 2001, are now in championship-or-bust mode, and James’ presence ensures their team dynamics will face maximum scrutiny.
That could play out in a few different ways. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra withstood an early storm after James’ 2010 arrival to guide Miami to two championships. Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt didn’t make it through his second season with the team once James returned in 2014. With the Los Angeles Lakers, Luke Walton lasted only one season after James’ 2018 arrival; the Lakers wound up cycling through four head coaches in the four-time MVP’s eight campaigns in L.A.
Nurse, a creative coaching lifer who has paid his dues, has a major accomplishment on his résumé that separates him from Spoelstra, Blatt and Walton: He guided a title team (the 2019 Toronto Raptors) before James joined his team. Though Nurse’s circuitous career path has never previously intersected with James, the coach enters their new relationship with preexisting championship validation.
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 also are talented scorers. From there, Nurse will need to coax consistent defensive effort from veteran stars accustomed to being surrounded by high-energy role players.
There’s also the matter of managing James and Embiid with an eye toward the playoffs. Over the past six seasons, the chronically injured Embiid has averaged 47 games played and James, now 41, has averaged 60 games played. Nurse should prepare four different rotations to handle the two stars’ game-to-game availability (both play, neither plays, only James, only Embiid).
Finally, Nurse will operate 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 regimes don’t always hire their own coaches, but it can be tempting to oust the incumbent if an aspiring contender falls short.
By Ben Golliver / ESPN