Who Should Win NBA Coach Of The Year? Breaking Down Top Five Candidates

It’s that time of year again.

With the NBA playoffs still a few weeks away, now is the time for endless debates about the league’s best player and best coach. Most Valuable Player essentially is a two-man race (our vote is triple-double machine Russell Westbrook over James Harden), so we’ll turn our focus toward Coach of the Year, which is a bit more wide open.

From a coach who gave a shot in the arm to a lagging squad to a man who helped his team end a record drought, there are plenty of solid options for the NBA’s best sideline guru. We’ve whittled it down to five and have an idea as to who might take home the hardware.

Here are our Coach of the Year candidates:

Scott Brooks, Washington Wizards: This team isn’t that much different on paper than it was last season. Well, except for the addition of Brooks, who in his first season in Washington led the Wizards to their first division title in 38 years. It’s not easy managing the egos of guys like John Wall, Bradley Beal and Markieff Morris (as Randy Whittman can attest) but the players seem to have bought into Brooks’ message, and Washington’s place in the standings — just two games behind the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference — is a testament to that.

Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics: It’s only a matter of time before Stevens wins this award. He’s improved the Celtics every year since arriving in 2013 and now has them battling for the No. 1 seed in the East despite having just one All-Star on their roster. Yes, Isaiah Thomas is a big reason why Boston should surpass 50 wins, but this club wouldn’t be nearly as good without Stevens, who has squeezed the most out of a hardworking group that lacks the big names of other top teams.

Mike D’Antoni, Houston Rockets: The Rockets’ .500 season seems like a distant memory, as D’Antoni’s trademark, fast-paced offense has this team scoring points and winning games at an impressive clip. D’Antoni’s system has done wonders for Harden, who leads the NBA in assists while serving as Houston’s bona fide floor general. The Rockets already have topped last season’s win total by 10 games with a very similar roster, a telltale sign that the coach is doing something right.

Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs: If we’re being honest, Popovich should just win this award every year. The Spurs lost Tim Duncan to retirement and boast exactly one All-Star but somehow are on pace to tally 60-plus wins for the second consecutive season. That’s thanks in large part to Pop, who has made solid contributors out of guys like Patty Mills, Danny Green and Jonathan Simmons and brought San Antonio back to where it’s been nearly every spring: in NBA title contention.

Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat: Here’s your dark horse candidate. Everyone wrote the Heat off after their abysmal start, and with good reason: This team has virtually no talent to speak of. But this ragtag group has gone on an epic run since mid-January and is on pace to reach the postseason and possibly finish with a winning record. That’s nothing short of remarkable for a team that was 19 games below .500 on January 16. Spoelstra likely won’t win this award, but his mastery in Miami this season shouldn’t go unnoticed.

PREDICTED WINNER: D’Antoni
Houston likely will finish with the league’s third-best record this season. We knew the Rockets were better than their 2015-16 record, but D’Antoni took them to the next level by installing a completely new system and getting everyone to buy in, transforming Harden into an MVP candidate in the process. If Houston wins six of its remaining eight games, it will reach its highest win total since 1997 — quite the feat for a first-year coach. Besides, even last year’s COY winner thinks D’Antoni is deserving.

Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images