NBA award season predictions: Will Nikola Jokic seal the deal for MVP?

HoopsHabit’s Coach of the Year: Monty Williams

The Coach of the Year award can be determined by a lot of different criteria, where the team was last season compared to now, player development, ranking in the top-five in defense, offense or both, and overall team record.

The seven coaches who are candidates are Monty Williams, Tom Thibodeau, Quin Snyder, Doc Rivers, Steve Nash, Mike Malone and Tyronn Lue.

Lue, Rivers, Snyder and Malone are all candidates for maintaining extremely high-level teams, the Clippers are having a historic shooting season, Rivers (and Morey) has made Philadelphia look like a functional offensive team, Snyder has pushed the Jazz to be a top-five team on both offense and defense and Malone has helped Nikola Jokic become an MVP candidate.

Nash is a candidate for managing to keep the Nets afloat as the three stars, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden have combined to miss over 82 games this season. As well as managing all of those egos, plus unlocking Bruce Brown and helping him basically invent a new position.

The last two candidates are Monty Williams and Tom Thibodeau. It’s an interesting debate on who should win the award. the Suns with Williams didn’t make the playoffs last season and now will finish with a top-two record in the West with the help of MVP candidate Chris Paul.

Thibodeau alongside Randle has made the Knicks a playoff team, the last time they made it was in the 2012-2013 season. The Knicks also are third in defensive rating after being 23rd last season.

Williams received 12 first-place votes and Thibodeau received seven in the poll, it’s a coin flip between these two candidates but Williams has HoopsHabit’s vote.