Kenny Atkinson saw Cleveland from the outside and sensed that something exceptional was occurring with the Cavaliers.

Their brilliance was youthful. They had a culture of positivity. They also had a superstar in Donovan Mitchell. Atkinson was eager to take part in it.

Upon firing J.B. Bickerstaff following their playoff loss in the second round and deciding to pursue Atkinson as a potential replacement, the Warriors assistant informed Koby Altman, the head of basketball operations, that their search was concluded. He was the man they needed.

The 57-year-old Atkinson, who served as Steve Kerr’s top assistant in Golden State for the previous three seasons and has a stellar reputation for developing young players, came across as earnest and excited about this new opportunity — his second head coaching position — during a 45-minute news conference at the team’s facility.

This week has been hectic for Atkinson, who last week, while in France serving as an assistant coach for the national team preparing for the Olympics in Paris, accepted a five-year contract with the Cavaliers over the phone.

Altman had to get in touch with Atkinson in Europe after obtaining team chairman Dan Gilbert’s approval to make the job. After determining that Atkinson, who had played professionally in France, was “probably rebounding for Victor Wembanyama,” Altman made the decision.

As the phone kept ringing, Altman started to get concerned until Atkinson answered, and it turned out that he was on the court.

He’s stumbling a little bit. I asked, “Coach, are you in practice?” as he was leaving the gym. Altman remembered. “He acknowledged that he was in practice. “I was worried I wasn’t going to get you,” I remarked. His response was, “No, I was going to take this one.”

From a 22-win team just four years ago to one of the best in the Eastern Conference, Atkinson inherits a Cleveland team that has dramatically improved. Bickerstaff, who was hired by Detroit on Sunday, led the Cavs to 99 victories and two postseason appearances during his tenure.

Atkinson achieved a similar ascent in Brooklyn from 2016 to 20 before being unexpectedly fired with 20 games remaining in the season.

With the Los Angeles Clippers, Atkinson spent one season under Tyronn Lue and three under Kerr; he compared the latter to “getting your doctorate in basketball.” Atkinson made it obvious that he is a totally different coach now.

In addition to creating schemes and Xs and Os to stay up with the modern game, Atkinson claimed that one of the most important lessons he learned from Kerr was his remarkable talent for working with superstars such as Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.

Developing a solid rapport with each player—especially the top ones—is essential.

“It’s a collaboration,” he declared. “Ty excelled in that. Steve was an expert at it. It’s true that you have the final say when it comes to important decisions. You have discussed that with your top players, though.

‘No, why don’t we do this in the pick-and-roll?’ is what I’ve heard them say. What makes us not do this? As a result, you really should be an excellent listener during your one-on-one meetings because it’s a true collaboration.”

This past weekend, Atkinson visited Mitchell at the All-Star guard’s “Spida Elite Camp” in Los Angeles for the top young guards in the country. He, Altman, and other members of the organization made quick use of that practice.

Atkinson saw the meeting mostly as a get-to-know-you-better opportunity, but Mitchell—who is free to sign a multiyear contract extension this summer—was another opportunity for the Cavs to pitch their vision.

The group maintains its optimism. Mitchell is going to get a contract worth $200 million and possibly as long as four years.