NBA Coach of the Year (COY) rankings 2024-25: Ime Udoka soars in Week 21 as Rockets go on 8-game winning streak

The NBA regular season wraps up in less than a month, and while the playoff race sharpens each day, the end-of-season awards — including Coach of the Year — are still up for grabs as storylines continue to evolve.

Here are our top five candidates for Coach of the Year after Week 21.

Top five NBA Coach of the Year candidates after Week 21

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#5. Steve Kerr (Last week’s ranking: #5)

Steve Kerr stays put at the No. 5 spot, and arguably strengthens his claim, with the Golden State Warriors heating up at just the right moment. They’ve taken 13 of their last 15 games — their most recent win coming even without Steph Curry — and have solidified their hold on sixth place in the West.

As the season’s final stretch nears, Kerr is maximizing his revamped roster, and his star trio of Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are clicking, if not peaking.

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#4. Mark Daigneault (Last week’s ranking: #4)

The OKC Thunder have already punched their playoff ticket and clinched the Northwest Division, but Mark Daigneault continues to turn heads.

His Thunder squad notched two blowout wins in the last two weeks without their stars on the floor. Dealing with constant injuries, the Thunder’s 57-12 record is all the more remarkable.

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#3. Kenny Atkinson (Last week’s ranking: #1)

Kenny Atkinson takes a steep tumble this week, with his Cleveland Cavaliers dropping three straight for the first time this season.

They still own the best record in the East and the second-best league-wide, but their recent losses — to the Orlando Magic, LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings — sting.

Despite that stumble, Atkinson still warrants a top-five slot — and even top-three consideration — given that last year at this point they were 43-26 through 69 games, compared to 56-13 this season.

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#2. J.B. Bickerstaff (Last week’s ranking: #2)

J.B. Bickerstaff keeps his hold on the No. 2 ranking, with his Detroit Pistons on track to make their first playoff appearance since 2019. Sitting at 39-31, they occupy the No. 6 seed in the East and are five games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks for the last automatic playoff spot.

For comparison, after 70 games last year, the Pistons were just 12-58.

A late-season surge could even see them secure home-court advantage in the first round and possibly leapfrog the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers.

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#1. Ime Udoka (Last week’s ranking: Unranked)

Ime Udoka soars to No. 1 with the Houston Rockets on fire, riding an eight-game winning streak and surging up to the No. 2 spot in the stacked Western Conference.

They’ve clinched a playoff berth and could finish strong to lock down that No. 2 seed, and Udoka’s coaching genius is a huge reason why.

Despite injuries to key players, he’s led the Rockets to this late-season run, and while he hasn’t topped our rankings frequently, this final push — with every game carrying weight for home-court advantage — could make or break his case.