NBA Coach of the Year Candidates

One of five modern NBA coaches to win a title in their first year as Head Coach, Nick Nurse is having a phenomenal follow-up season. Despite losing Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and sharpshooter Danny Green in free agency, Nurse has led the Toronto Raptors to the second seed in the East.

Nurse is a master at using what’s at his disposal, as the Raptors have managed to be one of the top teams in the league in spite of their key players (Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Fred Vanvleet, Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell) suffering injuries throughout the course of the season.

His team may not have the best record in the league, but as a coach, Nurse has the best narrative going for him, which is why he’s the front-runner in this race.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnfJxHXCfVc

The Los Angeles Lakers have the best record in the West and the second-best record in the entire league, and a big reason for that can be attributed to the superstar pairing of LeBron and AD. However, the Lakers also seem to have the best chemistry out of any team, as can be seen by the wild bench celebrations and team camaraderie displayed during games, but who is responsible for that? Some credit has to go to Frank Vogel and the Coaching staff.

The first-year Lakers head coach has done a tremendous job assembling his coaching staff and acclimating to a new team. It didn’t have to work out like this; the Lakers could have had an underwhelming season if the team chemistry was poor (aka Los Angeles Lakers last season). Also, there are previous examples that it’s not easy to coach LeBron, and Vogel has been far from disappointing so far.

Vogel has not only ensured that each player on the roster knows their role, but has also integrated a defensive mindset and culture to the team, which is why the Lakers are flourishing right now with one of the best defenses in the game.

Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone has flown under the radar for the last couple of years. Last season, he led the Nuggets to the second seed in the West (only behind the Warriors) and somehow wasn’t even mentioned in the COTY discussion. This season, he has kept the Nuggets floating among the top teams in the West (second all year, currently third) and should be getting more recognition.

Malone is coaching a Denver team that is sixth in winning percentage, sixth in field goal percentage, and fourth in assists per game. Although the Nuggets have one of the best centers in the league in Nikola Jokic, they don’t really have a true superstar, which indicates that it is indeed Malone’s coaching influence which has allowed this team to prosper among the best in the league.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feSkwtgxgV4

Robbed of a COTY award during the Heat’s reign in the East from 2010-2014, Erik Spoelstra has re-emerged as a Coach of the Year candidate and is hoping to win his first COTY award. He has led the Miami Heat to fourth in the East this season despite preseason predictions that the Heat wouldn’t be in playoff contention at all.

Spoelstra has done a great job utilizing the talent he has (Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, etc.) and making the most of it. He has made sure to instill the Pat Riley Miami culture into his players and it has resulted in success so far. Since his team is exceeding expectations, he has earned a spot in this race.

It’s almost impossible to win Coach of the Year in consecutive years. No Head Coach in the history of the NBA has ever accomplished that. Yet, the reigning COTY is once again at the helm of a Milwaukee team that has the best record (53-12) and best defensive rating (101.6) in the league. They also have arguably the best player in the game right now, who’s the reigning MVP himself, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Usually, this award is given to the coach of the team with the best record in the regular season. In this case, that would be Budenholzer, but he most likely won’t win it this year for two reasons.

Other than the fact that there have never been back-to-back COTY winners, Budenholzer likely won’t win this award because the narrative surrounding other coaches are more appealing to the mass.

For instance, Nick Nurse’s story this season of how he has managed to keep the Raptors as one of the best teams in the league despite losing a Finals MVP is more impressive than a coach who’s leading his team to the best record in the league right after leading the league in wins.

One of five modern NBA coaches to win a title in their first year as Head Coach, Nick Nurse is having a phenomenal follow-up season. Despite losing Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and sharpshooter Danny Green in free agency, Nurse has led the Toronto Raptors to the second seed in the East.

Nurse is a master at using what’s at his disposal, as the Raptors have managed to be one of the top teams in the league in spite of their key players (Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Fred Vanvleet, Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell) suffering injuries throughout the course of the season.

His team may not have the best record in the league, but as a coach, Nurse has the best narrative going for him, which is why he’s the front-runner in this race.

The Los Angeles Lakers have the best record in the West and the second-best record in the entire league, and a big reason for that can be attributed to the superstar pairing of LeBron and AD. However, the Lakers also seem to have the best chemistry out of any team, as can be seen by the wild bench celebrations and team camaraderie displayed during games, but who is responsible for that? Some credit has to go to Frank Vogel and the Coaching staff.

The first-year Lakers head coach has done a tremendous job assembling his coaching staff and acclimating to a new team. It didn’t have to work out like this; the Lakers could have had an underwhelming season if the team chemistry was poor (aka Los Angeles Lakers last season). Also, there are previous examples that it’s not easy to coach LeBron, and Vogel has been far from disappointing so far.

Vogel has not only ensured that each player on the roster knows their role, but has also integrated a defensive mindset and culture to the team, which is why the Lakers are flourishing right now with one of the best defenses in the game.

Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone has flown under the radar for the last couple of years. Last season, he led the Nuggets to the second seed in the West (only behind the Warriors) and somehow wasn’t even mentioned in the COTY discussion. This season, he has kept the Nuggets floating among the top teams in the West (second all year, currently third) and should be getting more recognition.

Malone is coaching a Denver team that is sixth in winning percentage, sixth in field goal percentage, and fourth in assists per game. Although the Nuggets have one of the best centers in the league in Nikola Jokic, they don’t really have a true superstar, which indicates that it is indeed Malone’s coaching influence which has allowed this team to prosper among the best in the league.

Robbed of a COTY award during the Heat’s reign in the East from 2010-2014, Erik Spoelstra has re-emerged as a Coach of the Year candidate and is hoping to win his first COTY award. He has led the Miami Heat to fourth in the East this season despite preseason predictions that the Heat wouldn’t be in playoff contention at all.

Spoelstra has done a great job utilizing the talent he has (Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, etc.) and making the most of it. He has made sure to instill the Pat Riley Miami culture into his players and it has resulted in success so far. Since his team is exceeding expectations, he has earned a spot in this race.

It’s almost impossible to win Coach of the Year in consecutive years. No Head Coach in the history of the NBA has ever accomplished that. Yet, the reigning COTY is once again at the helm of a Milwaukee team that has the best record (53-12) and best defensive rating (101.6) in the league. They also have arguably the best player in the game right now, who’s the reigning MVP himself, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Usually, this award is given to the coach of the team with the best record in the regular season. In this case, that would be Budenholzer, but he most likely won’t win it this year for two reasons.

Other than the fact that there have never been back-to-back COTY winners, Budenholzer likely won’t win this award because the narrative surrounding other coaches are more appealing to the mass.

For instance, Nick Nurse’s story this season of how he has managed to keep the Raptors as one of the best teams in the league despite losing a Finals MVP is more impressive than a coach who’s leading his team to the best record in the league right after leading the league in wins.