Advanced analytics have become one of the main contributors to the decision-making process for a plethora of NBA teams. Although these specific statistics can highlight impactful areas of a certain player’s arsenal, it doesn’t tell the full story. The eye test, even though more volatile in matters of detection, does make for some legendary stories.
Advertisement
When it comes to analyzing talent, depending on what a person is looking for, the eye test can be deceiving. Someone who becomes enamored with highlight plays may see a player with incredible athleticism and think they’re the next Michael Jordan.
At the same time, removing the eye test would be an undisputed step in the wrong direction. Devin Booker had a reputation as an empty stats player, but the eye test showed he was one of the league’s best. Once the team surrounded him with adequate talent, they made an NBA Finals appearance, proving he was an objectively great player.
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson isn’t shy to speak from that perspective. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, he prophesied that Evan Mobley would make an MVP jump in two years. Some people thought he was crazy, but Jeff Teague will never doubt Atkinson because he once made a similar prediction with Stephen Curry.
“I always believe what Kenny says because he told me what Steph Curry was going to be,” Teague said on The Club 520 podcast. “I was like, ‘Hell no.’ And then when Steph Curry started killing, I was like, ‘Alright man, whatever you say, you’re the GOAT.”
Before Atkinson became a head coach, he used to be an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks. He was with the team from 2012-2016. In those years, he wowed Teague with his amazing feel for the game.
Atkinson’s remarkable Curry take wasn’t the only one of his outstanding predictions. He also had great insight into what Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo would become.
“Kenny Atkinson told me [Giannis Antetokounmp] would be the best player in the league,” Teague said. “He said, ‘I watched this kid dribble and throw behind-the-back passes. I knew he was going to be the best player in the league.'”
Atkinson didn’t stop there. He even predicted the ascension of Kyrie Irving and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The prediction regarding Jokic caught Teague completely off guard. At the time, the Serbian star wasn’t anywhere close to the player he is today.
“They were starting [Jusuf Nurkic]. He was like, ‘There’s a kid on the bench 10 times better than Nurk.'” Teague said.
No matter how outlandish Aktinson may sound, Teague will always believe him because he hasn’t given him any reason not to. If the Cavaliers coach’s track record indicates anything, perhaps Mobley will become an MVP someday soon.
