5 leading candidates to win NBA Coach of the Year ft. Mark Daigneault (Week 22)
NBA season is coming to an end, and so is the race for the Coach of the Year award for this 2023-24 season. Since the beginning of the season, the odds to win the award have seen some changes. However, some of the names on the list have remained consistent throughout.
With that in mind, let's have a look at the top five leading names in the NBA Coach of the Year race after Week 22.
5 leading candidates to win NBA Coach of the Year
#5 Tyronn Lue
The LA Clippers haven’t been able to achieve what they presented on paper in the last few seasons. When Kawhi Leonard joined the team, the hope of the Clippers winning the title skyrocketed. However, since then, the best they have achieved is a berth in the conference finals.
Tyronn Lue hasn’t been very successful with the Clippers since he took the head coach job in 2020. After making the WCF in his first year, Lue and the Clippers have missed the playoffs. Last season, they were defeated by the Suns in the first round.
This season, the Clippers, under Tye Lue, have established themselves as the best team in the NBA. Their winning percentage has increased from 51.2 in the 2021-22 season and 53.7 in the 2022-23 season to 62.9 this year. This NBA season, under Lue, the Clippers are one of the favorites to win the title.
#4 Chris Finch
The rise of the Minnesota Timberwolves is one of the best stories this season. In the last 19 seasons, the Wolves made the playoffs only thrice and never moved ahead of the first round. For almost two decades, they were not even talked about when it came to winning the title.
Chris Finch took the head coaching job in 2021, becoming the primary driving force in their elevation. He made heavy adjustments in his team’s defense, which has been the biggest factor in the Timberwolves being one of the best teams in the NBA.
During the 2021-22 season, the Timberwolves had a winning percentage of 56.1. In the 2022-23 season, it was 51.2. However, this season, under Finch, the team has won 69% of its games. Under Finch, the Timberwolves are the top defensive team in the league by a huge margin.
#3 Joe Mazzulla
Given how deep the Boston Celtics are as a team, it would be easy to discredit Joe Mazzulla’s contribution to their dominance this season. Mazzulla took the head coaching job in 2023 after spending a year as an interim head coach for the Celtics.
Last season, Mazzulla guided them to the Eastern Conference Finals before the Miami Heat eliminated them in a seven-game series. In his debut season as the head coach, Boston is the best team in the NBA by a huge margin.
Under Mazzulla, the Celtics have won 80.3% of their games this NBA season.
#2 Jamahl Mosley
Jamahl Mosley took over the Orlando Magic’s coaching job in 2021, and it wouldn’t be hyperbolic to say that his first two years were awful. In his first season with the team, the Magic were the worst team in the Eastern Conference and, the following year, one of the worst in the league.
However, the Magic’s run under Mosley is completely different this season. They are ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference and have already clinched a spot in the postseason. Last season, the Magic were one of the most underwhelming teams in the NBA in defensive ratings, and this season, they are one of the top defenses.
Under Mosley, the Magic’s win percentage improvement is stellar. In the 2021-22 season, they won 26.8% of their games, in the 2022-23 season, it rose to 41.5, and now, in the 2023-24 season, they have won 59.2% of their matchups. It might be true that the Magic is not a title contender this season, but their rise under Mosley is certainly impressive.
#1 Mark Daigneault
The OKC Thunder story has just been unique in the NBA this season. Mark Daigneault, hired in November 2020, is a defensive-minded coach and has maintained his image throughout his career. Last season, despite not having a good team around him, Daigneault took the Thunder into the Play-In Tournament.
Under Daigneault, the Thunder won only 29.3% of their games in the 2021-22 season and 48.8% in the 2022-23 season. This NBA season, the Thunder are the second-best team in the Western Conference. They have also won 70% of their games.
From being a non-playoff team, the Thunder are one of the favorites to get out of the West this season.