NBA Coach of the Year (COY) rankings 2024-25: Kenny Atkinson leads latest shuffle with 10 days left in regular season

NBA: Los Angeles Clippers at Cleveland Cavaliers - Source: Imagn — Kenny Atkinson leads latest shuffle with 10 days left in regular season - Image source: Imagn

With just 10 days remaining in the NBA regular season, the playoff race is heating up — and so is the discussion around end-of-season awards, including Coach of the Year. Every game matters as coaches continue to strengthen their cases in the final stretch.

Here’s a look at our top five Coach of the Year candidates after Week 23.

Top five NBA Coach of the Year candidates after Week 23

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#5. Joe Mazzulla (Last week’s ranking: Unranked)

For the first time since Week 11, Joe Mazzulla returns to the rankings, landing at No. 5. The Boston Celtics have displayed flashes of dominant play as the season winds down, despite occasional absences from their stars.

While they won’t match last season’s win total, they have maintained their championship-caliber performance under Mazzulla’s leadership.

#4. Mark Daigneault (Last week’s ranking: #5)

Mark Daigneault has led the OKC Thunder to a franchise record in wins, while also guiding them to the best interconference record in NBA history (29-1 vs. the Eastern Conference).

They are tied for the best net rating in league history alongside the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, and they’ve won 11 straight games. With six more wins, they could become just the third team in NBA history to reach the 70-win mark.

#3. Ime Udoka (Last week’s ranking: #2)

The Coach of the Year race is now a three-way battle between Ime Udoka and the two names above him. The Houston Rockets have won four of their last five and hold firm control of the No. 2 seed in the stacked Western Conference, maintaining a three-game lead over the No. 3 LA Lakers.

In just his second season, Udoka has led Houston to its first playoff berth since 2020, cementing his Coach of the Year case.

#2. J.B. Bickerstaff (Last week’s ranking: #1)

After topping the rankings last week, J.B. Bickerstaff slides to No. 2 as his Detroit Pistons inch closer to their first playoff appearance since 2019.

With a 42-34 record, Detroit has tripled its win total from last season, sitting at No. 5 in the East. The Pistons still have a shot at home-court advantage, trailing the No. 4 Indiana Pacers by just three games.

Awards often come down to narratives, and Bickerstaff’s transformation of a lottery team into a top-five seed in his first year boosts his argument for the award.

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

Kenny Atkinson returns to the No. 1 spot after guiding the Cleveland Cavaliers back to their winning ways.

The Cavs boast the best record in the Eastern Conference, and Atkinson has been a frontrunner all season — though the race has narrowed to a three-man contest.

With 10 days left, Atkinson remains the favorite, but nothing is set in stone as the season reaches its final stretch.

About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro