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The second half of the 2021-22 NBA season is underway and the teams have come out of the midseason break rejuvenated and motivated.
Players and coaches are performing at their best as everyone wants to end their season with the best standing possible for the playoffs. The top and mid-tier teams want to maintain their position or grab home-court advantage, while the bottom teams are hoping to enter the NBA play-in tournament.
The top three teams in both conferences have been the same for weeks, and the NBA Coach of the Year ladder is mostly set. The Milwaukee Bucks have climbed to the fourth seed in the East, but it doesn't look like Mike Budenholzer will enter the race. Coaches Quin Snyder, Doc Rivers, Steve Nash and Budenholzer are out of the top five of the race despite having title-contending teams.
Coaches Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics, Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks and Mike Malone of the Denver Nuggets have a tiny chance of entering the race, but their teams need to perform spectacularly in the final 20 games of the season.
On that note, let's take a look at the top five of the Coach of the Year power rankings by Sportskeeda.
#5 Steve Kerr
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 4th (↓1)
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 1; Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 62; Games won - 44; Games lost - 21
Offensive Rating: 111.9 (13th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 105.0 (1st of 30)
Average Points Scored: 110.9 (10th of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 104.0 (4th of 30)
Although they are dealing with an injured roster, the Golden State Warriors are losing winnable games. They have lost six of their last eight games, including losses to the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves. They are still ranked first in defensive rating but are steadily slipping in that category as well
When Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson get back, then coach Steve Kerr has a chance to climb the Coach of the Year ladder.
#4 JB Bickerstaff
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 5th (↑1)
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 1; Games lost - 3
Overall: Games played - 62; Games won - 36; Games lost - 26
Offensive Rating: 110.7 (19th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 107.0 (4th of 30)
Average Points Scored: 106.5 (26th of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 103.0 (1st of 30)
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the surprise of the season so far. They are dominating the NBA with a lineup featuring multiple seven-footers and are the league's best defensive team in terms of points conceded.
Coach JB Bickerstaff has a chance to climb the Coach of the Year ladder in the final 20 games. They have lost five of their last six games but have the 15th-easiest remaining schedule in the league.
#3 Billy Donovan
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 3rd (-)
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 2; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 62; Games won - 40; Games lost - 22
Offensive Rating: 113.7 (5th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 111.8 (18th of 30)
Average Points Scored: 112.4 (8th of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 110.5 (18th of 30)
The Chicago Bulls have dominated the Eastern Conference despite facing injuries to key players like Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Zach LaVine. They are second in the East and DeMar DeRozan is a serious contender for the NBA MVP award.
They are ranked in the top five in offense and were top 10 in the defensive category while Ball and Caruso were healthy. Coach Billy Donovan deserves a lot of the credit for this as the Bulls weren't expected to be a strong contender when the season began and many analysts scoffed at the idea of adding DeRozan to the lineup.
#2 Taylor Jenkins
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 2nd (-)
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 2; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 63; Games won - 43; Games lost - 20
Offensive Rating: 113.6 (6th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 108.8 (8th of 30)
Average Points Scored: 113.9 (3rd of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 109.1 (15th of 30)
The Memphis Grizzlies are now looking like serious title contenders. Coach Taylor Jenkins has done a fabulous job of winning games even when his superstar Ja Morant was sidelined for a considerable amount of games.
They are now third in the West but are just a half-game behind the second-place Golden State Warriors. If they grab the second seed in the West, Jenkins' case will strengthen substantially.
#1 Monty Williams
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 1st (-)
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 62; Games won - 50; Games lost - 12
Offensive Rating: 114.2 (3rd of 30)
Defensive Rating: 106.0 (3rd of 30)
Average Points Scored: 113.7 (4th of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 105.6 (6th of 30)
The Phoenix Suns have maintained the league's best record this season and are the current favorites in the Western Conference. They are the only team in the NBA that are in the top three in both offensive and defensive ratings.
Coach Monty Williams is the sweeping favorite for the Coach of the Year award, and the Suns are the first team in the league to reach 50 wins this season. However, they just lost their star point guard Chris Paul for six to eight weeks and are expected to lose a bunch of games moving forward. As such, Williams' case will improve if they continue winning but will weaken if they drop in the standings.
