The 2025 NBA Coach of the Year Race
Let’s discuss who should be named the 2025 NBA Coach of the Year and who’s in the race.
The 2024-2025 NBA regular season is almost over and playoffs are right around the corner. We’re all looking forward to seeing who wins MVP, ROY, DPOY, 6MOY, of course, the selections for All-NBA. Behind the Coaching is of course focused on the Coach of the Year award.
Let’s discuss the 3 top coaches in the NBA who’s are deserving of winning the Coach of the Year award.
1. J.B. Bickerstaff
The Detroit Pistons have surprised a lot of people outside of their own fan base, overachieving their pre-season expectations. The Pistons are currently 5th seed in the Eastern Conference, with many opportunities to clinch a playoff position. If the Pistons clinch a top 6 seed, this will be the first time since the 2007-2008 season under Flip Saunders, where they finished in 2nd place and lost in the conference finals to the Boston Celtics in 6 games.
J.B. Bickerstaff has been a great influence for this young squad, on and off the court. The Pistons are currently ranked the 12th best overall offense and the 10th best defense in the league, major improvements compared to their previous seasons in the last decade.
We have seen Bickerstaff stand up for his players during games, taking technicals for his team and defending the honor of the Detroit Pistons. Coach Bickerstaff will bring the Pistons back to post-season contention for the first time since 2019 after many years of rebuilding and lottery placements. Out of the 3 coaches, Bickerstaff has had the hardest challenges.
2. Kenny Atkinson
Kenny Atkinson and the Cleveland Cavaliers started the season off with an undefeated record of 16-0, the best start to a season in Cavaliers history.
Coach Atkinson’s offensive system has sparked the current core, leading the league in the best rated offense all season long. His experience with coaching young and contending groups has paid off well for Atkinson compared to his first head coaching stint in Brooklyn.
Although the Cavaliers are on track to clinch the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers had previously made the playoffs in the past 2 seasons under Bickerstaff and it was expected by many for the Cavaliers to maintain a top 6 seed and return to the post-season.
3. Ime Udoka
The Houston Rockets will make a post-season appearance for the first time since the NBA Bubble in 2020. When he was first hired, Ime Udoka empathized a culture where participation is mandatory, which was a response to the low effort and lack of accountability under the Stephen Silas era.
The Rockets are likely to finish as a top 6 seed in the Western Conference, battling with the Nuggets, Lakers, and Grizzlies for the second seed placement. The western playoffs has been a competitive playing field and with most of this current squad being inexperienced in playoff nature, it’ll be fun to watch these young Rockets face veteran led teams.
Coach Udoka will have some competition with Atkinson and Bickerstaff, but it’s not completely out of the question that he has a chance to win it. Udoka received 1 second place vote and 3 third place votes for Coach of the Year last season, placing him at 6th overall for most votes.
The race will definitely be close, however it’ll be up to the NBA media and journalists to carefully choose the winner of the Coach of the Year award. Who’s your pick for Coach of the Year? Share your thoughts.