The NBA coaching carousel is fascinating to keep track of. We saw plenty of movement this offseason as a trove of new leaders look to guide their team to the next level. Let’s evaluate the current list of 30 NBA coaches as we enter the season. We will look at their track record, previous accomplishments, and in-game management as a source for their ranking. Here’s how all 30 coaches stack up against one another:
30. JJ Redick — Los Angeles Lakers
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JJ Redick has the least extensive coaching resume of any current NBA coach – unless you’re willing to factor in his work as a volunteer on his kids’ 4th grade team. Redick landed the Lakers job after a strenuous coaching search which saw a failed attempt to lure two-time champion Danny Hurley away from Connecticut. Redick has kept himself busy since retiring from the NBA following a 16-year career. He started his own podcast and served as an analyst for ESPN. His peers have praised his work ethic and basketball IQ, but there’s more that goes into coaching. It will be interesting to see how quickly he adjusts to his new role while leading two of the best players in the league — LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
29. Brian Keefe — Washington Wizards
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An assistant for 15 seasons, Brian Keefe finally got his first head coaching gig in ’23 after the Wizards fired Wes Unseld Jr. at midseason. The Wizards were 7-36 prior to the coaching change, and Keefe led the team to an 8-31 record down the stretch. Keefe didn’t shy away from making adjustments throughout the year. That included benching the team’s highest-paid player — Jordan Poole — for a stretch and giving a starting role to sharpshooter Corey Kispert. He earned the full-time gig following the year. Keefe is the 26th head coach in Washington’s history. The previous 11 coaches ended their Wizards tenure with a record below .500.
28. Jordi Fernandez — Brooklyn Nets
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Jordi Fernandez is just 41 years old, but his coaching career dates all the way back to the early 90s. Fernandez began coaching in Spain as a 15-year-old and landed his first NBA job with the Cavaliers in 2009. He was one of Michael Malone’s assistants in Denver from 2016-2022 and spent the last two seasons with the Kings. Additionally, he took over Team Canada’s men’s team coach in 2023 and led the team to a bronze medal finish — capped off with a win over the US men’s team — in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He’ll be steering the tank for a Nets team that projects to finish near the bottom of the league. His ability to navigate through the season will determine if he’ll be able to coach whoever the Nets eventually select in next year’s draft.
27. Charles Lee — Charlotte Hornets
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A top assistant for the Celtics for the last two seasons, Charles Lee was one of the bigger names available during this year’s coaching carousel. Lee was linked to several teams with openings, but ultimately settled with the Charlotte Hornets — a team that has been in flux for several years. While it’s his first head coaching gig, Lee should inject some championship DNA into his new squad. He was a key member of last year’s title team and was also on the staff during Milwaukee’s title run in 2021.
26. Chauncey Billups — Portland Trail Blazers
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One coach already on the hot seat as the season approaches is Portland’s Chauncey Billups. The Blazers hired Billups in ’21 after he spent a season as an assistant to Tyronn Lue in Los Angeles. After reaching the postseason eight straight times under former coach Terry Stotts, the Blazers have come nowhere close to a playoff spot during Billups’ tenure. They’ve finished bottom-5 in net rating all three seasons. Billups is seemingly a likable leader, but the results have been dismal. If No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson doesn’t immediately show signs of progress in Year 2, we could see the team turn to another coach quickly to try and salvage the former top selection.
25. Darko Rajakovic — Toronto Raptors
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The 45-year-old Serbian national has been state-side since 2012. He earned his first NBA coaching gig with the Tulsa 66ers (now known as the Oklahoma City Blue) and was eventually called up to the Thunder’s staff. He’s spent the last decade in Oklahoma City, Phoenix, and Memphis, and was named head coach of the Raptors before the 2023 season. Rajakovic made headlines in his first year as a coach when he berated referees during a post-game press conference following a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Though the Raptors finished just 25-57 in his first year, this team hasn’t been quick to give up on coaches. Each of Toronto’s last four head coaches lasted at least 229 games. However, the last two — Dwane Casey and Nick Nurse — each took home a Coach of the Year award and boasted a winning percentage over .570 before being fired.
24. Kenny Atkinson — Cleveland Cavaliers
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Kenny Atkinson is back in a head coaching role after spending the last three years as an assistant. His first run spanned four years with the Brooklyn Nets from ’17-’20. The highlight of his tenure was a surprising 42-40 finish during the 2018-19 season. The Nets failed to win even 30 games in any of the other three years with Atkinson on the bench. In his first year as an assistant at Golden State, the Warriors went on to win a title with a star-studded staff that also included two-time Coach of the Year, Mike Brown. Atkinson is entering a much more enviable position, taking over for a talented Cavaliers team that has reached the postseason each of the last two seasons. The team securing Donovan Mitchell with a long-term extension in the offseason means they are ready to win immediately.
23. J.B. Bickerstaff — Detroit Pistons
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Let’s give some credit to the man who coached the Cavaliers to back-to-back playoff berths. J.B. Bickerstaff — the son of longtime NBA head coach Bernie Bickerstaff — took over in Cleveland back in 2020 after John Beilein resigned. He was named the full-time head coach following the season, and the Cavaliers won just 22 games (in a 72-game season) in his first year. They doubled their win total in ’22 (44-38). In ’23, Cleveland had its first 50-win season without LeBron James in 30 years. However, shortcomings in the playoffs and Evan Mobley’s lack of offensive development were the ultimate causes for Bickerstaff’s departure. Now, he takes over for a rebuilding Pistons team that is just trying to get back in the mix.
22. Billy Donovan — Chicago Bulls
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Donovan spent 20 years as the head coach at the University of Florida, leading the team to back-to-back national title wins in ’06 and ’07. His first NBA job came with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015 and he came just one game short of reaching the NBA Finals as a first-year coach. After his stint in OKC, Donovan was hired by the Chicago Bulls following the COVID season. He’s made the playoffs just once in four seasons with Chicago. The Bulls enter the 2024-25 season in a rebuilding phase after trading away star player DeMar DeRozan. It will be intriguing to see if the team believes Donovan will be the coach who leads the team through its next era.
21. Quin Snyder — Atlanta Hawks
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It was a disappointing year for Quin Snyder and the Hawks. There were expectations that the former Utah Jazz head coach could lead a talented Atlanta group to a top seed in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Hawks limped to a 36-46 record and were ousted from the play-in by an uninspired Bulls team. Atlanta will enter next year with a new look, as Dejounte Murray was jettisoned to New Orleans, and No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher will enter the fold. The Hawks are dissimilar to most teams who have selected No. 1 in the past. This is a group that expects to contend for a postseason spot immediately. If Snyder’s team underachieves again, don’t be surprised to see his name on the chopping block.
20. Willie Green — New Orleans Pelicans
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A 12-year NBA veteran, Willie Green began his coaching career just a year after his playing days ended. Green was an assistant for the Warriors and Suns before landing the head coaching role with the New Orleans Pelicans. Since taking over, the Pelicans have improved their win total each year under Green. Unfortunately, star forward Zion Williamson was unavailable for either playoff appearance. A clean bill of health from their star might be enough for New Orleans to break through in the Western Conference under Green.
19. Jamahl Mosley — Orlando Magic
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It was a magical season for an Orlando team that reached the playoffs for the first time in four years. Jamahl Mosley is another young coach who has seen his team improve each year under his tutelage. He took over and led the team to just 22 wins in the 2021-2022 season. However, that led to the team securing the No. 1 overall pick and selecting Paolo Banchero. The Magic saw their win total increase by 12 games in Banchero’s rookie season and by 13 this past year. 47 wins was the most by the franchise since 2011. Mosley’s defensive philosophies helped secure the No. 2 overall defensive rating in the NBA last season. The 45-year-old coach should continue to improve and develop alongside his young squad.
18. Doc Rivers — Milwaukee Bucks
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It’s been 16 years since Doc Rivers won a title as head coach of the Boston Celtics. Since then, Rivers’ resume has been filled with postseason meltdowns and a whole lot of finger-pointing. At one point, Rivers was regarded as one of the savviest coaches in the league and a leader in the locker room. However, his runs with the Clippers and 76ers ended in disaster after failing to make the Conference Finals with either team. Rivers took over in Milwaukee midway through the 2024 season. The Bucks were 30-13 under former coach Adrian Griffin. They went 17-19 under Rivers and boasted one of the league’s worst defenses. The most notable moves made during the offseason were adding Taurean Prince and Delon Wright. Will a full Summer be enough for Rivers to turn the defense around and get stars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo on the same page?
17. Mike Budenholzer — Phoenix Suns
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Another championship-winning coach with a lot to prove this season, Mike Budenholzer often came under fire during his tenure with the Bucks when the team came up short in the postseason. However, they finally reached the mountaintop in 2021 when they toppled the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. Budenholzer was ousted two years later when Milwaukee shockingly lost a first-round matchup to the No. 8 seed Miami Heat. After taking a year off from the game, Budenholzer is set to return to the sideline and join the team he defeated for a championship. He won’t have Giannis and Brook Lopez anchoring the defense this time around. But, Budenholzer’s offense should look crisp with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal in tow.
16. Will Hardy — Utah Jazz
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Throw the records out when it comes to Will Hardy. When he took the job two seasons ago, the Jazz had no expectations. The team had just traded away its two pillars in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert following six-straight postseason appearances. Hardy was taking over a rebuilding roster but managed to lead the team to 37 wins. That total dipped to 31 last year as several of Utah’s top players were forced to miss time. He’s a savvy coach who could make some serious waves once the Jazz have a roster capable of competing in the Western Conference.
15. Taylor Jenkins — Memphis Grizzlies
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We’re not putting Memphis’ 27-win campaign solely on its coach. Several factors contributed to the Grizzlies’ lost season. Every major player on the team was forced to miss a considerable amount of time. The most noteworthy loss was Ja Morant, who suited up for just nine games after an early-season suspension was then followed by a season-ending injury. Jenkins proved his mettle by leading the Grizzlies to back-to-back 50-win seasons in the years prior. With the team healthy entering 2024-2025, the Grizzlies will once again be a contender out West.
14. Chris Finch — Minnesota Timberwolves
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No coach faced a more tumultuous postseason than Minnesota’s Chris Finch. The Minnesota head coach ruptured his patellar tendon during a playoff game when Mike Conley Jr. collided with him on the sideline. Finch was forced to take a seat for the remainder of the playoffs while assistant Micah Nori assumed a more active role. Even with the injury, Finch’s Timberwolves made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals by dethroning the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the second round. Finch should get plenty of credit for unlocking the Towns-Gobert frontcourt and leading the Timberwolves the furthest they’ve been in 20 years.
13. Joe Mazzulla — Boston Celtics
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It could be argued that Mazzulla deserves to be a few spots higher. After all, the Boston head coach boasts a league-record .738 career winning percentage and just led the Celtics to an NBA title. Mazzulla’s Celtics were dominant in 2024, finishing the season with an 80-21 record when including the postseason. That being said, Boston’s roster is completely stacked with talent and the highest seed they defeated was the No. 4 Cavaliers in the second round. If Boston keeps winning, we’ll have no choice but to keep moving Mazzulla further and further up the ranks.
12. Ime Udoka — Houston Rockets
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All it took was one year for Ime Udoka to completely shift the culture in Houston. Over the past few years, the Rockets had become known for their lackadaisical style of play and lack of defensive intensity. That all changed under Udoka’s watch. In his first year, the Rockets improved 20 spots in defensive rating (from 29th to 9th). Houston’s young core showed improvements on that end as Udoka held everyone accountable. They improved by 19 wins (from 22 to 41) and were in the playoff hunt until finally dropping off in the last couple of weeks of the season. With a roster on the rise, the Rockets could quickly become a problem for the other teams in the Western Conference.
11. Mike Brown — Sacramento Kings
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Mike Brown earned his dues as an assistant coach in the league. His first head coaching gig came in 2005 when he took over for the LeBron James-led Cavaliers. He coached a total of six years in Cleveland and lasted just 71 games with the Lakers before the head coaching offers dried up. Brown then joined the Warriors staff and was a member of the championship-winning squad in 2022. Following the victory, Brown was hired by the Sacramento Kings and immediately turned the franchise around. They won 48 games in Brown’s first year and made their first postseason appearance since 2006. Adding DeMar DeRozan into the fold might be enough for Brown and the Kings to return to the playoff picture.
10. Rick Carlisle — Indiana Pacers
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It seemed like Rick Carlisle was losing his touch a bit. After leading the Mavericks to a championship in 2011, Carlisle-led teams failed to get out of the first round over the next 12 seasons. His teams failed to reach the postseason five times over the last seven years. All it took was one surprising run from a young Pacers squad to put Carlisle back on the map. Indiana entered both series as an underdog and prevailed over Milwaukee and New York.
9. Tom Thibodeau — New York Knicks
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No coach is more constantly engaged during a game than Tom Thibodeaux. He can be heard yelling (or, encouraging) at his team throughout the entirety of a broadcast. Stories of his intensity have been echoed by his former players. Even after blowout victories, Thibodeaux would berate his team for surrendering consolation baskets at the end of the game. His style fits perfectly in the tough and rugged New York basketball scene. He’s arguably the best defensive coordinator in the league. And, you can always count on his teams playing hard on both ends of the floor.
8. Nick Nurse — Philadelphia 76ers
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An NBA Champion and former Coach of the Year, Nick Nurse enters the ’24-’25 campaign with one of the brightest spotlights in the league. The 76ers have built one of the league’s best rosters — one that is arguably better than Nurse’s Toronto Raptors team that won the 2019 NBA Finals. Nurse was brought on because of his creativity and ability to make adjustments. Coming up short with a former MVP (Joel Embiid), a rising star (Tyrese Maxey), and a six-time All-NBA honoree (Paul George) will be a tough look for Nurse.
7. Mark Daigneault — Oklahoma City Thunder
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Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault has a bright future ahead of him. The 2024 Coach of the Year (finished as runner-up for the award in 2023) did an excellent job with a Thunder team that won 57 games during the regular season and earned the No. 1 seed in the West. His offensive system was a nightmare for opposing teams to guard. He employed a 5-out scheme which kept defenses constantly scrambling. He showed a willingness to adjust during the postseason — such as benching regular season starter Josh Giddey when he struggled down the stretch. The Thunder have a stacked roster ready to compete next season. And, they also have one of the smartest coaches who is only going to get better as he gains more experience.
6. Jason Kidd — Dallas Mavericks
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Jason Kidd parlayed a Hall of Fame playing career into a head coaching position. He was hired to coach the Brooklyn Nets a year after retiring. He spent just one year with the Nets and then jumped to the Milwaukee Bucks. Kidd’s first two stints as head coach were lackluster. It didn’t help that the Bucks instantly became a title contender as soon as the team replaced Kidd with Mike Budenholzer. Kidd spent two years on the Lakers’ bench as an assistant before landing another head coaching gig with the Mavericks. He’s come into this own as a coach with the team he previously won a title with as a player. Kidd led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals in ’22 and made it to the NBA Finals in ’24. Making it out of a competitive Western Conference without having home-court advantage in any series is no easy task.
5. Steve Kerr — Golden State Warriors
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There’s no doubting Steve Kerr’s winning pedigree. The Arizona alum won five titles as a player and four as a coach. And, he managed a brief run as a broadcaster and as the Phoenix Suns’ general manager as well. He boasts the highest winning percentage for any coach in the postseason (minimum 100 games) at .707. Winning the 2022 title with a flawed roster was a stellar organizational feat. However, some in the Bay have grown tired of Kerr’s unwillingness to adapt as the league evolves. At one point, his motion offense took the league by storm. Today, it seems like the rest of the league has caught up to anything the Warriors do unless Steph Curry single-handedly takes over. It will be intriguing to see how different the team looks now that longtime stalwart Klay Thompson is gone. Can Kerr adapt to an NBA that has caught up to Golden State?
4. Tyronn Lue — Los Angeles Clippers
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Some will point to the lack of postseason success with the Clippers as a reason to knock Tyronn Lue down a few spots. However, context must be provided in this situation. Injuries were the main culprit in ending each Clippers season under Lue. He took over in the ’20-’21 season and led the team to the Western Conference Finals. They were just two games away from the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance despite Kawhi Leonard missing the last eight games of the postseason run. Lue is known for his game-to-game adjustments, which was best highlighted when he was the head coach of the Cavaliers team that took down the Warriors for the 2016 title.
3. Mike Malone — Denver Nuggets
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The 2024 season did not end as the Nuggets envisioned. Denver squandered a 20-point lead at home in Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals, and ultimately had their season ended by a young and hungry Timberwolves squad. It’s a blemish in what has otherwise been a tremendous Nuggets tenure for Mike Malone. Denver prevailed as champions in 2023 with a dominant 16-3 postseason record. Injuries had plagued them during previous postseason runs, and the ’24 loss to Minnesota can be attributed to a lack of roster depth. The Nuggets will enter next season as a favorite in the Western Conference and Malone has proven he can go toe-to-toe with the game’s best.
2. Gregg Popovich — San Antonio Spurs
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There’s no denying Popovich’s legendary status among the league’s all-time great coaches. The Spurs had never even made it to the NBA Finals before Popovich took over. Since then, they’ve won six Western Conference titles and five NBA championships. Popovich helped make the Spurs a model of consistency, though the team had hit a rough patch in recent years. Their fortunes immediately changed after securing the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and selecting a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama. Popovich’s wisdom will be invaluable for Wembanyama’s development.
1. Erik Spoelstra — Miami Heat
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There are a couple of coaches with more hardware, but Miami’s Erik Spoelstra is currently the best in the game. By now, most NBA fans are familiar with his backstory. Spoelstra began as a video coordinator and eventually worked his way up. He was hired in 2008 and quickly entered the spotlight after the Heat added LeBron James and Chris Bosh two seasons later. Despite some early struggles, Spoelstra and the Heat went to the NBA Finals four straight times and won two titles. But, his greatness has truly shined in recent years, taking an undermanned Heat squad to the NBA Finals twice in the last five seasons. In ’23, Spoelstra’s Heat made it out of the Eastern Conference as the 8-seed — toppling the No. 1 seed Bucks and No. 2 seed Celtics along the way. Nobody gets more out of his team than Spo.
