The current state of NBA coaching appears to be stronger than ever across the board. The old guard is still represented by Doc Rivers of the Bucks, Rick Carlisle of the Pacers and Mike Brown of the Knicks, all coaches who got their first head coaching job in the NBA 20 years ago.
Then there are young coaches who have done admirable work on teams that are perpetually headed for the draft lottery, like Jordi Fernandez of the Nets or Will Hardy of the Jazz.
This season, there are two teams in each conference that have made a notable leap from last season: the Spurs in the West and the Pistons in the East. The Spurs have the third-best record in the West behind the Thunder and Nuggets, while the Pistons have the best record in the East with a 2.5-game lead in the standings over the second-place Knicks.
It should come as no surprise that Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff (+250) and Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson (+1000) have the second and third lowest odds of winning Coach of the Year, behind Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault.
It’s hard to judge what makes a good coach beyond wins and losses, but the Coach of the Year award tends to center around teams that far exceed expectations due to the perceived impact of their head coach.
The Pistons certainly fit that bill so far.
They went from 44 wins last season to one of the biggest turnarounds in league history. Their preseason win total stood at 46.5 wins and they are almost halfway to that mark before Christmas with a 21-5 record.
The Pistons lost three of their top five postseason scorers during free agency – Malik Beasley, Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr. – but somehow improved in attack. Cade Cunningham will get some credit for that, but Bickerstaff has clearly had a positive impact on the Pistons, who reflect his gritty personality and also have the second-best defense in the NBA.
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If the Thunder ultimately win 74 games, Daigneault will have the strongest case to win Coach of the Year. But if they fall short and the Pistons maintain their current pace, it would be tough to argue against Bickerstaff.
As for the Spurs, coach Johnson, who took over as interim coach from Gregg Popovich last season, is proving to be formidable in his own right. Spurs also had a win in the mid-40s going into the season and made a good start early after some otherworldly performances from Victor Wembanyama.
When Wembanyama went down with an injury, Spurs did not fall apart. In fact, they had an 8-4 record while Wembanyama was healthy and a 9-3 record while injured.
The Spurs are playing at a 59-win pace, which will almost certainly decrease as the season progresses. That said, Spurs are a legitimate threat to finish in the top four in the West. That would be a great achievement for a team that most thought was a frisky play-in team.
Johnson’s chances of winning this prize depend on Wembanyama’s health and availability, but his odds at 10/1 are worth a try after what we’ve seen from his Spurs so far this season.
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Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He is a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and martial arts. He spends his winter weeknights looking for NBA player prop benefits with more money.
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