Ranking the top 5 head coach candidates for Atlanta Hawks

5. Mitch Johnson, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach

Johnson is expected to be a candidate for Atlanta’s head coaching vacancy, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, and for good reason. Becky Hammon recently left her job on the Spurs’ bench to become the head coach of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and Will Hardy left San Antonio to join Boston as an assistant under Ime Udoka before becoming the head coach of the Utah Jazz. Even the Hawks’ interim coach, Prunty, is a former Spurs assistant coach. While the pipeline is evident, so too are Johnson’s coaching chops.

After starting with the Spurs’ G League affiliate (Austin Spurs) in 2016, Johnson helped the team win the 2018 G League title. He was promoted in 2019 to the San Antonio bench as an assistant and also served as the team’s Summer League coach. Notably, Johnson spent time with Murray in San Antonio which could be enough for the Hawks’ guard to give his fellow Seattle native and former coach a vote of confidence.