NBA Coach of the Year: December 11th, 2021 | Latest Power Rankings by Sportskeeda
We are now eight weeks into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings have started to take shape. The title-contending teams have started to take their place at the top of the table, while injury-plagued rosters are racking up losses. The LA Lakers seem to be the exception, though, as they keep underperforming despite having a star-studded team with championship aspirations.
The Washington Wizards have slowed down, and so have the Miami Heat. Erik Spoelstra is off our top five NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings, as the Heat have lost a bunch of games lately. They have fallen dangerously close to .500, with a 15-11 record. They have lost four of their last six games, including defeats to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets keep losing to strong teams. Even the head coach Steve Nash doesn't believe they are comparable to other title-contending teams just yet. They lost to the Chicago Bulls for the second time this season, and also faced defeat against the bottom-table Houston Rockets in Kevin Durant's absence.
Coaches Steve Nash, Erik Spoelstra, Wes Unseld Jr. and Mike Budenholzer all have very strong cases to enter the top 5 of the NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings. The top four coaches in this list have remained consistent for the past few weeks.
So without further ado, let's have a look at the order of our top five this week:
#5 Mike Budenholzer
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - N/A
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 2; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 27; Games won - 17; Games lost - 10
Offensive Rating: 111.0 (6th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 107.1 (8th of 30)
Average Points Scored: 110.7 (8th of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 106.9 (15th of 30).
The Milwaukee Bucks have gotten back on track, and are looking like the reigning champions again. Whenever their big 3 of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have been healthy, the Bucks have been almost unbeatable. Hence, coach Mike Budenholzer has made an appearance in our top 5 NBA Coach of the Year power rankings, but only time will tell if he stays there till the end of the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks run into a wall against the Miami Heat…again
“It’s the same defense we’ve seen for four years.” - Mike Budenholzer
And yet, it slowed down Antetokounmpo again. More at @TheAthletic: theathletic.com/3006908/2021/1…
The Bucks are third in the Eastern Conference with a 17-10 record. and Antetokounmpo is now in the top 3 of the NBA MVP discussion. The Milwaukee Bucks are also top ten in both offensive (sixth) and defensive (eighth) ratings. Nevertheless, they aren't the Eastern Conference favorites, as the Heat, Nets and Bulls are all making headlines.
#4 Billy Donovan
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 4th (-)
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 2; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 26; Games won - 17; Games lost - 9
Offensive Rating: 110.4 (9th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 106.7 (6th of 30)
Average Points Scored: 108.9 (11th of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 105.2 (8th of 30).
The Chicago Bulls are making noise in the East, and their dominance is only getting more apparent as the season has progressed.
It is now clear they weren't on a fluky star,t and that this team is going to cause trouble to opponents in the playoffs. They are top ten in both offensive (ninth) and defensive (sixth) ratings. That hasn't changed over the course of the season, and, in fact, has only gotten better.
Your Eastern Conference Coach of the Month... Billy Donovan! https://t.co/dnXMMdDKc5
Coach Billy Donovan has implemented a system of unselfish passing and ball movement. The offense has flown fluidly between Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
They have two players in the NBA MVP discussion - LaVine and DeRozan - one player in the NBA DPOY and NBA 6MOTY conversation - Alex Caruso.