Dwane Casey’s Case For Coach Of The Year

There are plenty of worthy candidates for NBA Coach of the Year and based on the team’s season, Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey should be among them.

Of all the award races this year, there might not be a harder one to decide than NBA Coach of the Year.

In years past, it was easy to go by which team improved the most from the previous year or the more simple process of giving the award to the coach that garnered the most wins in that season.

However, and quite honestly, there are simply too many coaches this year that fit one of those standards.

There are plenty of deserving candidates this season and while some may stand out more than others, it’s not an easy task to distinguish which coach’s case is deserving of more praise than another coach’s case.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Toronto Raptors

Context and historical achievements will always mean a lot in who will be considered and who will ultimately win the award, but there will likely be more factors than usual that will be added in determining the recipient of this year’s award.

Yet there’s one coach that fits both of those criteria and that’s Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

The Raptors’ season has been a high mark for the franchise itself and the success the team has experienced this year has resulted in their best finish as they’ll stand as the second seed in the East come playoff time.

While that may surprise some due to the many changes the team went through last offseason, the fact that the Raptors are near the top of the East this season under Casey isn’t all that shocking, given the upward trend that has gone through under his direction.

For proof, the Raptors have increased their win total in every successive season under Casey and their 54-win (and possibly counting) season this year is the team’s first 50-win season ever.

Additionally, it’s no surprise that the team’s cornerstone players, Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan, have grown significant under Casey’s presence and both players have had career years this season, respectively.

Of course, this season has not been without its hardships.  The Raptors have without their biggest free agent acquisition in their history, DeMarre Carroll (who’s now slowly making his return back to action), for the majority of the year.

However, you only have to look at the rapidly improving play of rookie Norman Powell as an example to see why the Raptors have been fine without Carroll’s presence.

More from Toronto Raptors

• NBA Trades: 10 Pascal Siakam deals the Raptors must consider
• Grade the Trade: Warriors become title-favs in proposed deal with Raptors
• NBA Trades: Memphis bolsters their roster in this deal with Toronto
• NBA Trades: This Pelicans-Raptors deal would send a star to the Big Easy
• 3 NBA teams facing do-or-die 2023–2024 seasons

Although the Raptors have had an incredibly successful season, the team’s results this year still might not be enough for Casey to garner consideration.

We’ve seen herculean efforts by coaches like Terry Stotts, Steve Clifford and Brad Stevens and all-time greatness from Steve Kerr/Luke Walton and Gregg Popovich and that might be enough to overshadow the job Casey has done this year.

Despite the team’s success this season, Casey still has more to prove.

Playoff success has been elusive throughout the Raptors’ history and if the team finishes the season without advancing past the first round of the playoffs, Casey’s future in Toronto could be in doubt.

With that said, that shouldn’t be a slight on the job Casey has done this year.  There’s been a logical progression for the Raptors under Casey’s tenure and it’s culminated in a historic season for him and the franchise.

More hoops habit: NBA: 30 Greatest Draft Steals of the Lottery Era

Overall, the Raptors’ season has been one to remember and while the team’s success might not compare to other team’s seasons this year, Casey’s efforts this season should be considered for the highest NBA coaching honor.