With the 2018-19 Coach of the Year award feeling as wide open as ever, it’s time to take a look at the top 10 candidates for the upcoming NBA season.
More so than any other end-of-season NBA award, the Coach of the Year award is completely wide open heading into each new campaign. The reason is the masterminds behind the likely title favorites have usually already won the award, and the surprise teams are the ones that come out of nowhere to submit an unexpected candidate.
While prominent names and former COY winners like Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr and Mike D’Antoni will always be in the running, their success has become expected at this point. It’d take something truly special to concoct a new storyline the voters haven’t seen before, which is why it’s so difficult for coaches to win this award more than once, barring a change of scenery.
The NBA’s head coaching carousel has created plenty of new partnerships over the summer, which opens up new opportunities and shakes up the Coach of the Year pool. However, whether it’s a highly respected coach like Pop, a sharp basketball mind joining a new team like Mike Budenholzer, or an overdue candidate getting his chance to take the next step forward like Brad Stevens, there are plenty of prominent names in this category heading into the new season.
Bearing all this in mind, it’s time to take a look at the top 10 candidates for the NBA’s 2018-19 Coach of the Year award.
Honorable Mentions: Nate McMillan, Dwane Casey, Rick Carlisle and Erik Spoelstra