National Basketball Association

NBA: Top 10 Candidates For Coach Of The Year Award In 2016-17

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:32 p.m. ET

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The NBA’s Coach of the Year Award is a fleeting, but important honor. Here are the top 10 candidates for the award in 2016-17.

April 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich hugs Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr before the game at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Spurs 112-101. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Head coaches don’t last very long in the NBA, which is why the league’s Coach of the Year Award is such a fleeting but ultimately important distinction.

Hardly anyone can be Gregg Popovich, earning 20+ years of trust with the same organization, winning a few championships and enjoying unparalleled success by cranking out 50-win seasons year after year.

Most head coaches are lucky to experience something like Jeff Hornacek‘s recent trajectory: Enjoy a promising start (48 wins in 2013-14 to finish second in Coach of the Year voting), watch it all collapse due to circumstances out of your control, get fired, and move on to the next gig.

At this point, the NBA has become a carousel when it comes to head coaches. It doesn’t take long for prominent names to fade, nor does it take them long to resurface wielding new ideas and a fresh outlook wherever they pop up next after the disgrace of an early termination.

But as much as superstars and players win games, coaches are more than capable of losing them. Finding a coach who will put players in position to be successful can be crucial, while managing egos and be just as important as managing minutes and Xs and Os.

From projected team success to fit with the roster to building new basketball cultures, there’s a lot that goes into this award. Bearing all that in mind, it’s time to take a look around the league at the top 10 candidates for the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award.

Honorable Mentions:  Scott Brooks, Doc Rivers, Mike D’Antoni, Dwane Casey, Terry Stotts, David Fizdale, Nate McMillan, Dave Joerger, Michael Malone, Luke Walton

May 30, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan (left) instructs guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the second quarter in game seven of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 96-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

10. Billy Donovan

This may be a long shot with Kevin Durant gone, but if the Oklahoma City Thunder somehow win 50+ games after losing their best player, don’t rule anything out.

The Russell Westbrook Show is going to be must-watch television, but this may be an even bigger test for head coach Billy Donovan. Without KD to spread the floor, the Thunder are going to have serious spacing issues, none of which will be resolved by Victor Oladipo or Andre Roberson.

Promising youngster Cameron Payne is hurt, the Thunder have two starting-caliber bigs in Steven Adams and Enes Kanter and, again, Kevin Durant is gone.

Will Donovan be able to harness an unleashed Russell Westbrook? Can the Thunder re-establish themselves as a Western powerhouse without KD? If they’re able to do so, Donovan’s status as an elite NBA head coach will no longer be in doubt.

May 23, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel is introduced as the new head coach as he talks with media during a press conference at Amway Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

9. Frank Vogel

The Orlando Magic made some head-scratching moves this summer, but the least questionable decision they made was hiring Frank Vogel as head coach. If anyone can sort through an ultra-crowed frontcourt, assemble an improved defense and make Jeff Green useful again, it’ll be him.

This is a bit of a dark horse candidate, since Vogel never won Coach of the Year with the Indiana Pacers and will have far less talent to work with in Orlando. But if this young Magic team emerges from the rubble at the bottom of the East and becomes a playoff team, perhaps he’ll get some votes in his first season on the job.

It certainly won’t be easy, however. Vogel has established himself as one of the best defensive coaches in the NBA, but what would’ve been his best wing defender — Victor Oladipo — was traded away in the Serge Ibaka deal.

Now Vogel must figure out a workable rotation for Ibaka, Nikola Vucevic, Bismack Biyombo, Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green in the frontcourt. Elfrid Payton may take another scary step forward on the defensive end under Vogel’s watch, but the Magic must do the same for their head coach to be in the running for this award.

Oct 1, 2016; Bossier City, LA, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle calls a timeout against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

8. Rick Carlisle

Under almost any other head coach, the Dallas Mavericks would’ve been a tanking team last season. But more than any other head coach in the NBA — even more than Gregg Popovich — Rick Carlisle extracts the upmost potential out of a very average supporting cast.

Last season, the Mavs’ best player was a 37-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, who led the team in scoring at only 18.3 points per game. That didn’t stop Dallas from winning 42 games to earn the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

With a legitimate rim protector in Andrew Bogut, another moldable talent who may exceed expectations under Carlisle in Harrison Barnes and an all-around better supporting cast, the Mavs could surprise some people this season.

Carlisle hasn’t won this award since 2002 when he was in charge of the Detroit Pistons, so if Dallas surprises some people this year, perhaps it’s time for his tremendous work with the Mavericks to come back into the spotlight.

June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue speaks to media following the 93-89 victory against the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

7.  Tyronn Lue

Maybe this isn’t enough respect for a head coach that just helped lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a championship over the greatest regular season team in NBA history, but Tyronn Lue certainly deserves at least a shout-out in the Coach of the Year conversation.

Not only did he get his players to buy in in a way that David Blatt couldn’t, but he also found a working — albeit shortened — rotation in the NBA Finals to down one of the greatest juggernauts the league has ever seen.

Unfortunately for Lue, this award is about the 2016-17 NBA season, not the one that came before it. With the Cavs wisely looking to rest LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love a bit more this season, Cleveland’s regular season campaign may not look as impressive as it normally would.

The Cavs have another Warriors super-team to worry about in the Finals, so their main focus will be managing the minutes of their core and winning enough games to finish with a top playoff seed. That will hurt Lue’s standing in this category, as will LeBron’s sheer, predictable dominance in the East.

Apr 22, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy talks with guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

6. Stan Van Gundy

The Detroit Pistons had one of the best starting fives in the NBA last season, and with another year of internal growth and a significantly improved bench, they could be poised to make quite a leap in the East in 2016-17.

If that happens, you can be guaranteed that all of Stan Van Gundy’s roster building and all of his strategic scheming will come to light in the Coach of the Year voting.

This is no Dwight Howard-Orlando Magic caliber of team, but the Pistons’ rise back to prominence would be hard to ignore if they win around 50 games and secure a middle-tier playoff spot — especially since SVG has been the chief architect behind the Motor City’s basketball revival.

From “Form a f**king wall” to his tantalizing young core to the sense that Detroit finally has a quality Pistons team to look forward to, the 2016-17 season could mark the breakthrough that earns the attention of voters and ultimately, Van Gundy’s first Coach of the Year Award.

May 12, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

5. Tom Thibodeau

This isn’t rocket science. While it seems unreasonable to expect the 13- or 14-game win improvement that Las Vegas is projecting with its over/under for the Minnesota Timberwolves, there’s no denying that this team and new head coach Tom Thibodeau will be League Pass darlings in 2016-17.

With everyone fixated on this young and alluring roster, any growth shown by Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio and Kris Dunn will be amplified by the Thibs narrative — whether or not his arrival is actually the driving force behind that growth or not.

Thibodeau is a tremendous defensive coach, and for a Timberpups team that ranked 28th in defensive rating last year, substantial improvements on that end won’t go unnoticed.

If Minnesota somehow manages to catapult itself into the Western Conference playoff picture, Thibs’ redemption and bright new future with the Wolves will be too good of a story for voters to pass up.

Apr 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder gestures in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

4. Quin Snyder

Like the Detroit Pistons in the East, the Utah Jazz are a team that’s spent its fair share of time in the draft lottery over the last few years. Now it’s time for them to stay healthy and make that leap back into the playoffs, possibly even challenging for home-court advantage in the first round.

Under Quin Snyder (and mostly since the Enes Kanter trade), the Jazz have been an absolutely stingy defense. With Dante Exum and Alec Burks returning, plus another year of internal growth from Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Rodney Hood and Rudy Gobert, plus the arrival of defensive-minded and sharpshooting veterans like George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw, yeah, this team could be great.

After winning 40 games and falling short of the postseason last year, there’s no question that the 20+ games missed for both Favors and Gobert was a factor. Now the Jazz are deeper than they’ve ever been under Snyder, and if they approach that 50-win range, he would be a legitimate candidate.

On paper, the Jazz appear ready to make good on all their potential. Years of planning and development and patience may finally come to fruition in 2016-17, and if that happens, Quin Snyder should be firmly entrenched in the COY conversation.

Sep 26, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is interviewed during media day at the Spurs training facility. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

3. Gregg Popovich

Death, taxes and the San Antonio Spurs — those are the only three things in life that are certain. Gregg Popovich has won this award three times already, and yet every year that his team gets older, he remains a top-five candidate for Coach of the Year.

With Tim Duncan gone, this truly is a new era for San Antonio basketball. The Spurs have been Kawhi Leonard‘s team for awhile now, and they regrouped quickly from Duncan’s retirement, planning ahead by signing LaMarcus Aldridge last summer and adding Pau Gasol this offseason.

But even with Duncan gone and Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker showing signs of their age, Pop and the Spurs can always be counted on to rack up regular season wins. It’s just what they do.

People forget that part of the reason the Golden State Warriors stayed motivated to win 73 games last year was they needed to; the Spurs were hot on their heels for most of the year, ultimately winning a franchise-record 67 games. That won’t happen again this year, but you can never leave Pop out of the voting for this category.

Sep 26, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens during media day at the Boston Celtic Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

2. Brad Stevens

The Boston Celtics were a very good team last year, and finished second in the league in defensive rating. With Al Horford filling a position of need at the 5 and another year of internal growth for this promising young team, Brad Stevens’ prowess as a head coach may start to show up in the end-of-the-year voting.

Everyone knows that Stevens is already one of the game’s best sideline minds, and a Coach of the Year Award almost feels inevitable at this point. So why not in 2016-17, with his team poised to make the leap into the upper class of the Eastern Conference?

For this to happen, Boston would probably need to win 50+ games and secure a top-two or two-three seed in the playoffs. Even that might not be enough, since the Cavaliers will be in the picture and another 60+ win season will be in play for both the Warriors and the Spurs.

But if voters don’t feel like having a repeat winner of Steve Kerr or Gregg Popovich, Stevens represents a fresh, young option who’s extracting results from a great but not terrific roster. If the Celtics establish themselves as a legitimate playoff threat in the East, Stevens will show up on quite a few COY ballots.

June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr speaks to media following the 93-89 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers following game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

1. Steve Kerr

Maybe it’s unfair that Steve Kerr will have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green to play with, but like it or not, the Coach of the Year Award usually goes to whoever’s in charge of one of the league’s most successful teams in a given season.

In 2016-17, that will probably be the Golden State Warriors again, and Kerr deserves credit for building the culture and offensive sets that unleashed the pace-and-space era, redefining the course of NBA history in the process.

True enough, Kerr already got credit for that last year, when he won his first Coach of the Year Award despite only coaching the team for 39 of their 82 regular season games. But silly as it may have been, those 73 wins were credited to Kerr, and if he could win the award like that, he could certainly win it again in 2016-17 with a full season of Curry and KD.

Kerr’s trust in his players and his jovial attitude are rare in the NBA these days, and it’s part of the reason the Warriors have been so damn good over the last two seasons. Even a brutal 3-1 collapse in the NBA Finals is not going to change that, so you can count on Kerr and the Warriors being in this conversation again this season.

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