Good coaching could take any NBA team a long way. Regardless of how many talented players you have on your roster, you also need someone calling the shots, making adjustments, and leading the way.
Notably, the NBA’s revolving door of coaches rarely rewards patience, and not many coaches get the benefit of staying with a team for a long time. But it’s safe to say that several of them have earned that right.
With the NBA season coming to an end, we take a look at every single one of the awards. Here, we discuss the top three candidates to win Coach of the Year, and it seems like the league couldn’t go wrong either way here.
NBA Awards: Top 3 Candidates For Coach Of The Year
3. Mark Daigenault
Mark Daigenault— Getty Images
There’s a strong chance the Oklahoma City Thunder won’t make the NBA playoffs, but this should still be considered a very positive season for the organization. They proved to be way ahead of schedule, and Mark Daigenault deserves credit for that.
We’re talking about a team that was missing its best player from time to time. They also didn’t have Chet Holmgren suit up for them this season, and they still flirted with .500 basketball and a playoff berth for most of the year.
2. Joe Mazzulla
Joe Mazzulla— Getty Images
Just like Ime Udoka before him, Joe Mazzulla proved to be ready to be a coach right away. And while you might argue that the Boston Celtics are the most stacked team in the league, he still did a solid job.
The Celtics are actually better defensively now under Mazzulla. Continuity can go a long way, and he’s there from the previous process, but he’s also been quite good at personnel management and getting the team out of their slump.
1. Mike Brown
Mike Brown— Getty Images
Mike Brown should get a statue outside of Golden 1 Center. He finally got the Sacramento Kings back to the playoffs, and it’s become more than clear that they’re not satisfied or done just yet.
Brown has helped their youngins take a step forward. He’s got trust in them and vice versa, and he’s shown that he’s willing to take a bullet for any of those guys. The Kings will be very good for a very long time, barring a disaster.
