2021 NBA Coach of the Year Candidates
Monty Williams — Phoenix Suns: From exciting new additions in Chris Paul and Jae Crowder to the continued development of DeAndre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Cam Johnson. What’s most impressive is the entire team’s buy-in and foundation Coach Williams has established in Phoenix. If the Suns make the playoffs I find it hard to believe any other coach wins the award.
Brad Stevens — Boston Celtics: Yet to take home the top coach of the year honors, Coach Stevens might be able to put together a solid argument this season. It’s well known the Celtics are more than set on the wing with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But what remains to be seen is how healthy Kemba Walker will be. How the Celtics coach manages the point guard position with or without Kemba available (with Jeff Teague and Payton Pritchard) along with how the team adjusts with Tristan Thompson anchoring the paint will be huge if the Celtics are to take the next step.
Steve Nash — Brooklyn Nets: It was only a few preseason games, but there’s a decent chance Nash is in consideration for the award in his first year at the helm. How he is able to navigate the job while dealing with Kyrie’s media debacle, managing KD’s workload in his return to the court and how he elects the distribute minutes between LeVert/Dinwiddie and Allen/Jordan. If he’s able to maintain the core’s trust, keep the players happy within their roles and of course win games he’ll attract attention especially if the Nets are able to lock in home court advantage finishing top 4 in the Eastern Conference.
Doc Rivers — Philadelphia 76ers: The Brett Brown “Trust the Process” era is over. Not only did the 76ers bring in a well established coach to hopefully help get them over the hump, but they also brought in shooters (something the team has desperately lacked the past few seasons). Time is of the essence in Philadelphia as patience is wearing thin. How quickly Coach Rivers is able to adjust to his new roster, incorporate the new shooters within the offense, and if he can properly weather the storm/eliminate much of the Ben Simmons for James Harden noise will be imperative to the 76ers success this season. That’s a tough ask, but if Rivers can pull it off he’ll be in the conversation.
Ty Lue — LA Clippers: While much of the Clippers issues must be solved and sorted out within the locker room amongst the players themselves Lue does slide over a seat as the head coach with some new factors to consider. With Luke Kennard on board, how much does that affect Lou Williams time? Same can be said for Serge Ibaka being added to the mix as the young Ivica Zubac had came on strong for the Clippers at the end of last year. What 5 players get Lue’s nod during crunch time? The Clippers have a very strong roster filled with a lot big personalities. After a very embarrassing collapse in the playoffs, Lue has one of the tougher jobs in basketball after being tabbed the trusted leader to resolve the internal problems and generate the quick solutions. Anything short of a Western Conference Finals appearance would be a disappointment.
