- Get the latest betting odds on the top favorites for the NBA's Coach of the Year race.
- Kenny Atkinson won COY in 2025, cashing my 30/1 preseason bet.
There continues to be a science to predicting the NBA’s Coach of the Year.
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson won the award in 2024-25, guiding his team to 64 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland had a win increase of 16 games in Atkinson’s first year at the helm, clearing the team’s preseason win total (48.5) by 15.5 games.
And all those factors follow a familiar pattern in this market, something I projected when I bet on Atkinson (30/1) in the preseason.
Atkinson became the 10th Coach of the Year winner since 2010-11 to lead his team to a No. 1 seed. The average playoff seed for a COY winner over the last 15 years is 1.7. It’s not enough to exceed expectations, a team has to be great to earn recognition from voters.
The average win total for the last 15 Coach of the Year winners has been 57.7. The previous 15 recipients of this award have guided their respective teams to an average win improvement of 11.9 compared to the prior season.
Lastly, the average preseason win total since 2010-11 has been 45.4.
Simply put, target a coach of a team with this profile:
- No. 1 seed potential
- 50 wins or fewer last year
- Path to clearing win total by double-digit games
While NBA betting lines won’t be available until later in the summer, I plan to follow that formula again for the 2026 Coach of the Year market:
Odds to Win NBA Coach of the Year
I’ll be patiently waiting for this NBA odds market after cashing a great preseason price (30/1) on Atkinson. This is an award where you can correctly pick which team will surprise the most.
It’s important to remember that voters reward excellence when voting on Coach of the Year. J.B. Bickerstaff guided an impressive turnaround for the Detroit Pistons, helping them claim a playoff berth after they posted the worst record in the league in 2023-24.
Bickerstaff had as strong of a case as anyone of breaking the recent pattern of Coach of the Year winners. Ultimately, voters rewarded Atkinson’s Cavs for winning 20 more games than the Pistons. It also didn’t hurt that Atkinson replaced Bickerstaff in Cleveland.
With that in mind, I believe Jamahl Mosley (Orlando Magic), David Adelman (Denver Nuggets), Chris Finch (Minnesota Timberwolves), and Mitch Johnson (Spurs) will be some of the top candidates in next year’s Coach of the Year market.
Prediction: David Adelman
NBA Coach of the Year Voting, 2024-25
| Rank | Name | Team | Vote Pts | 1st Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny Atkinson | CLE | 401 | 59 |
| 2 | J.B. Bickerstaff | DET | 305 | 31 |
| 3 | Ime Udoka | HOU | 113 | 7 |
| 4 | Mark Daigneault | OKC | 41 | 2 |
| 5 | Tyronn Lue | LAC | 35 | 1 |
| 6 | JJ Redick | LAL | 5 | 0 |
List of Coach of the Year Winners
| Year | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Kenny Atkinson | CLE |
| 2023-24 | Mark Daigneault | OKC |
| 2022-23 | Mike Brown | SAC |
| 2021-22 | Monty Williams | PHO |
| 2020-21 | Tom Thibodeau | NYK |
| 2019-20 | Nick Nurse | TOR |
| 2018-19 | Mike Budenholzer | MIL |
| 2017-18 | Dwane Casey | TOR |
| 2016-17 | Mike D'Antoni | HOU |
| 2015-16 | Steve Kerr | GSW |
| 2014-15 | Mike Budenholzer | ATL |
| 2013-14 | Gregg Popovich | SAS |
| 2012-13 | George Karl | DEN |
| 2011-12 | Gregg Popovich | SAS |
| 2010-11 | Tom Thibodeau | CHI |
| 2009-10 | Scott Brooks | OKC |
| 2008-09 | Mike Brown | CLE |
| 2007-08 | Byron Scott | NOH |
| 2006-07 | Sam Mitchell | TOR |
| 2005-06 | Avery Johnson | DAL |
| 2004-05 | Mike D'Antoni | PHO |
| 2003-04 | Hubie Brown | MEM |
| 2002-03 | Gregg Popovich | SAS |
| 2001-02 | Rick Carlisle | DET |
| 2000-01 | Larry Brown | PHI |
| 1999-00 | Doc Rivers | ORL |
Who Has Won the Most Coach of the Year Awards in NBA History?
Three different coaches have won three Coach of the year awards in NBA history:
- Don Nelson (1983, 1985, 1992)
- Gregg Popovich (2003, 2012, 2014)
- Pat Riley (1990, 1993, 1997)
Larry Brown also won three ABA Coach of the Year awards, claiming the honor in 1973, 1975, and 1976.
How Many Cavaliers Coaches Have Won Coach of the Year?
Bill Fitch, the franchise’s first head coach, and Mike Brown are the only Cavaliers coaches who have won the NBA Coach of the Year award.
- Mike Brown won Coach of the Year in 2008-09.
- Bill Fitch earned Coach of the Year in 1975-76.
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