NBA Coach of the Year: November 20th, 2021 | Latest Power Rankings by Sportskeeda
Heading into Week 6 of the 2021-22 NBA season, many action unfolded in the last week. A few of the dominant teams have started to separate themselves from the rest of the league in the standings. Stephen Curry is now the sweeping MVP favorite across the league, while Kevin Durant has slipped to second in the race.
The Charlotte Hornets have stabilized themselves after a terrible Western Conference road trip, and are now on a five-game win streak. Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards are one of the biggest surprises in the NBA. They are 10-5 to start the season, and have shown incredible chemistry to begin the season.
Coach Wes Unseld Jr. has done a fabulous job integrating the championship-winning players like Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope into the system with Spencer Dinwiddie and Bradley Beal.
The Brooklyn Nets are atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 12-5 record, but haven't looked like a championship team yet. They have faced a bevy of 'easy' opponents, but have lost against strong teams like the Heat, Warriors, Bucks and Bulls.
James Harden has looked like a shadow of his illustrious self, while Kyrie Irving's absence has exacerbated the situation as the injuries pile on. Head coach Steve Nash spoke about where he thinks the Nets stand in the league after their blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors, saying:
"Well, I just don't think we're in that category yet...We got a lot of work to do. We're trying to improve as a group, get better, and hopefully, we can find a way to overcome some of our deficiencies by the end of the year."
Steve Nash doesn't think the Nets are "in that category yet" of top teams like the Warriors on.sny.tv/nCaslnk https://t.co/99fL1or386
Hence coach Nash doesn't make our week's NBA Coach of the Year power rankings. So without further ado, let's have a look at the five men who have done so:
#5 Billy Donovan
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 4th (↓1)
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 3; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 16; Games won - 11; Games lost - 5
Offensive Rating: 110.7 (7th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 105.4 (9th of 30)
Average Points Scored: 108.8 (11th of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 103.6 (8th of 30).
The Chicago Bulls are rolling right now, and coach Billy Donovan deserves a lot of credit. Many NBA GMs and scouts voted ahead of the season that DeMar DeRozan's addition was surprising, and would not work out.
But so far the move has worked wonders. Both Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are having MVP-caliber seasons, and the Bulls' offense is one of the most fluid in the NBA.
Getting through the next week without Nikola Vučević might force Bulls coach Billy Donovan to get even more creative with his rotations.
Donovan came up with a winner last night — inserting Alex Caruso into the starting lineup.
More from @PWSullivan.
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Coach Donovan has implemented a system of ball movement and great defense. Alex Caruso has been an excellent Sixth Man for the team. The Bulls have managed to win games despite the absence of their starting center Nikola Vucevic.
The Bulls have been incredible in fourth quarters. They have won against tougher opponents like the Nets, Nuggets, Lakers, Clippers and Jazz, among others.
#4 Erik Spoelstra
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 5th (↑1)
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 1; Games lost - 3
Overall: Games played - 12; Games won - 7; Games lost - 5
Offensive Rating: 112.8 (4th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 104.5 (6th of 30)
Average Points Scored: 110.4 (6th of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 102.3 (5th of 30).
The Miami Heat are back to winning ways. They lost three straight games on their West Coast road trip, but have now won their last four in a row. Coach Erik Spoelstra's team has managed to win despite dealing with a ton of injuries. Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has been a candidate in the early NBA MVP race, and is having one of the best seasons of his career.
Moreover, coach Spoelstra has done an amazing job with Tyler Herro's role and rotation. The 21-year-old is currently the runaway favorite for the Sixth Man of the Year award, and is also in contention for the Most Improved Player award.
Coach Erik Spoelstra almost pulled off @DwyaneWade's iconic "This is my house!" celebration. 😁 #NBA75
🎥 @MiamiHEAT https://t.co/7T6sC0ZOr9
He is scoring the second-highest points in the team, averaging career-highs in all three major statistics. Herro is averaging 21.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 39% from downtown on 7.2 attempts per game.