Ranking All 16 Coaches In The NBA Playoffs

Though the Golden State Warriors have been ravaged by injuries, fans remain confident that they could make a fourth consecutive NBA Finals run. It’s understandable considering the level of talent on that roster—the Warriors boast four All-Stars and two former MVPs, so of course they’re still a favorite to run through the playoffs.

The confidence is also understandable because Golden State has one of the best coaches in the league. Though coaching matters less in the NBA (where star power is the ultimate deciding factor) than in the college ranks, it remains a vital component of the game—especially when the stakes are maximized in the postseason.

In the 2017 NBA Playoffs, the depleted Boston Celtics somehow advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals and (sort of) hung in there with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the Western Conference semifinals, the San Antonio Spurs shut down a promising Houston Rockets season and practically neutralized MVP finalist James Harden.

These examples speak to the following revolutionary statement: If you have a great coach, you have a better chance of winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Several coaches leading current NBA squads–like Gregg Popovich–will likely be remembered as all-time greats. Other teams, however, have questionable leaders at the helm, coaches who might not even hold onto their jobs next season. The two No. 1 seeds, the Raptors and Rockets, have had incredible regular seasons, and their coaches’ jobs certainly aren’t in danger—but they’re searching for previously unseen postseason success to legitimize their resumes.

How do the 16 coaches in this year’s NBA postseason stack up? Below, Complex Sports shares our perspective on the most and least valuable coaches in this year’s playoffs.

16. Joe Prunty

The Milwaukee Bucks underperformed with Jason Kidd leading the way, and they’ve underperformed since Prunty took over. They appeared to have turned the corner immediately after Kidd was fired, going 9-3 right before the All-Star break, but they sputtered out. In total, Prunty has gone 21-16. It’s been an incredibly disappointing season considering Milwaukee has a promising young core spearheaded by Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks were picked to contend for the East, but after a less-than-stellar 2017-18 season, reports indicate they are already looking for their next head man. Some have speculated that Jeff Van Gundy, Rick Pitino, and David Fizdale are in the running, though Pitino is a longshot. Prunty will likely need to mount a run in the playoffs to save his job.

15. Alvin Gentry

Gentry took over for Monty Williams in 2015-16. New Orleans was coming off of a playoff season, but they dipped down to 30 wins—12th in the West. The next year, the Pelicans won only 34 games, and Gentry’s future was unclear.

This year, however, they’ve taken a huge leap. Considering DeMarcus Cousins has been sidelined since January with an Achilles injury, it’s remarkable that New Orleans has qualified for the postseason—thanks largely to Anthony Davis’ unbelievable surge. Gentry has been a head coach for five teams, and he has a 12-9 record in the postseason.

14. Brett Brown

Brown is another guy whose name has somehow come up in job-security conversations. This rumor makes no sense—Brown has been there for The Process, and he’s nurtured the Sixers’ young talent beautifully. He deserves Coach of the Year consideration. Nonetheless, after Villanova won the NCAA title—the Wildcats’ second championship in three years—fans immediately began speculating about whether Jay Wright would take a job down the road to complete The Process.

Yes, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are sensational, but few expected Philly could be this good this soon. Brown deserves credit for that. He has nurtured not only his two stars, but also young role players like Robert Covington, T.J. McConnell, Dario Saric, and Richaun Holmes. The team respects Brown, and his job should certainly be secure.

13. Nate McMillan

You’ve got to give it up for McMillan and the Indiana Pacers. When they traded superstar Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder last offseason, all we heard was, “guess Indiana is going into rebuilding mode.” On the contrary, the Pacers have emerged as one of the best teams in the East.

Like the situation in New Orleans, McMillan owes much of his success to one star going on a tear. In Indiana’s case, it’s Victor Oladipo, who was a part of the George deal and is the favorite to win Most Improved Player. McMillan has done a masterful job, and he—like Brown—deserves consideration for Coach of the Year. This marks his seventh postseason appearance in 14 seasons between Seattle, Portland, and Indiana.

“Nate’s been brilliant,” Pacers President Kevin Pritchard told IndyStar in February. “Our offensive and defensive strategies this year have been terrific. Without Nate, we don’t have this.”

12. Billy Donovan

Donovan inherited a loaded roster when he leapt to the NBA from Florida. After a promising first season that included 55 regular-season wins and a near-Finals appearance, Donovan lost Kevin Durant, who elected to sign with rival Golden State. Oof.

Donovan comes under fire too often; he’s done a solid job coaching the Thunder. They won 47 games last season as Russell Westbrook entered one-man-wrecking-crew mode. With Carmelo Anthony and George on the roster this year, Thunder fans had championship aspirations—but they shouldn’t have expected things to gel so quickly. OKC has the talent to make a playoff run; Donovan’s late-game personnel management will likely play a role in whether they’re able to pull it off. He’s been so-so (12-11) in the postseason.

11. Terry Stotts

People have attributed the Trailblazers’ rise to the star-studded guard duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, and with good reason—but Stotts deserves praise, too. The 2015 Coach of the Year runner-up, Stotts has led Portland to consistent success throughout his five years as head coach, averaging roughly 50 wins per regular season.

His role in helping Lillard and McCollum develop should not be undersold. Stotts and company have helped the two small-school guards, whom many teams slept on, blossom into elite playmakers. This is the fifth-straight year Stotts has led Portland to the postseason. He has a rough, 12-24 record in the playoffs as a head coach.

10. Tyronn Lue

Lue is another coach who gets flak for inheriting a talented roster. It should be noted, however, that when he took over for David Blatt in 2015-16, that team was a mess. Lue stepped in and led the Cavs to an NBA title. Granted, he has the best player in the league, and many joke that LeBron is the real coach. That may be partially true; LBJ holds undeniable sway over the team’s decision-making, and his voice is likely the loudest in the huddle when it really matters.

Lue isn’t the best X’s and O’s coach, he’s made questionable personnel decisions, and his communication isn’t always great. He appears to be adept, however, at managing personalities. His players like him. That may not be quantifiable, but it’s important. Lue has a 29-10 postseason record in his head-coaching career.

9. Tom Thibodeau

Thibs’ first season in Minnesota was a disappointment. People expected the Wolves, led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, to challenge for a playoff spot, but they fell far short of that mark, winning only 31 games. They reloaded in the offseason, though. Minnesota traded for Jimmy Butler and signed Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson.

With those experienced new additions and Towns and Wiggins’ continued maturation, the Wolves have been far better this season. They’re only seeded No. 8, but no team wants to play Minnesota in the postseason. Thibs averaged 51 wins per season with the Bulls and qualified for the playoffs in each of his five seasons in Chicago, but he’s somewhat low on this list because his teams never made it out of the East. Thibs has a 23-28 record in the postseason.

8. Scott Brooks

The Thunder seemed to think Scott Brooks was the reason they couldn’t get over the hump, but he’s proven to be at least Billy Donovan’s equal. Brooks won only 22 games in his first head-coaching season (2009), but the next season he claimed Coach of the Year. Since that year, he’s never won fewer than 45 games. He has a .609 regular-season winning percentage for his career.

Brooks led OKC to the lone Finals appearance in franchise history. Granted, of course, the Thunder had Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka, but these players hadn’t fully come into their own, and people forget how competitive that series with Miami really was. Brooks led Washington to 49 wins in his first season. He’s had a tough go of it this year as John Wall has wrestled with injuries. Brooks is not an elite coach, per se, but he is a solid coach.

7. Quin Snyder

This guy gets my vote for Coach of the Year. Utah lost its best player, Gordon Hayward, in free agency, but the team hasn’t lost a step. Donovan Mitchell’s emergence and Rudy Gobert’s ascendance are much of the reason for that—but so is Snyder’s fantastic coaching.

In an age of run-and-gun, Snyder’s Utah teams take a contrarian approach—they slow it down, run methodical sets, play strong team defense, and protect the rim. Utah was a huge surprise both last season, when they went 51-31, and this season, when they went 48-34. Vegas projected they’d only win 38.5 games. The former Missouri coach and longtime assistant has won only four NBA playoffs games, and he won’t be favored to win many this year, but Snyder is a rising star.

6. Mike D’Antoni

Mike D’Antoni has a reputation as a regular-season coach—a guy whose teams dominate when it doesn’t really matter. Is that fair? We may find out this season, as D’Antoni has arguably his best team to date. The Rockets, behind MVP frontrunner James Harden and All-NBA candidate Chris Paul, have been easily the best team in the league.

They were great last year, too. Mike D., who popularized “seven seconds or less” with Steve Nash and the Suns, earned 2017 Coach of the Year. His Houston teams absolutely let it fly from downtown, and his aggressive offensive scheme demands respect. Though he was unsuccessful with the Knicks and Lakers, D’Antoni was great with the Suns and has been the same with Houston—but he still has something to prove in the postseason, where he has only a 32-38 record.

5. Dwane Casey

Much like D’Antoni, Casey has a reputation as a regular-season coach. However, he has had moderate success in the postseason. Though Toronto hasn’t been able to eclipse LeBron and the Cavs, the Raptors did advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015-16, and they gave Cleveland a decent challenge.

Toronto, however, has changed its style of play this season. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry are not reverting to their typical “hero” isolation ball, and the Raps’ bench has been vital in their success. Toronto is the class of the East, and Casey deserves serious praise for his work turning the franchise around. This is the fifth-straight year Casey and Toronto have qualified for the playoffs. In his seventh season leading this team, Casey has found his stride—but, like D’Antoni, he still has something to prove when everyone is watching, as he’s 17-24 in playoffs past.

4. Erik Spoelstra

Who needs a traditional star? Not Spoelstra, apparently. “Spo” led the Big Three-era Miami Heat to four consecutive NBA Finals and two rings, but people still questioned how much praise he deserved. I mean, how hard is it to lead three All-NBA players to the Finals? Call it Steve Kerr Syndrome.

Spoelstra has proven his worth since the team from that era dissolved. In 2016, two years after LeBron left, Miami won 48 games. Last year, they won 41 and narrowly missed the playoffs. This year, they won 44. They’ve consistently overachieved. Spoelstra’s teams aren’t sexy, but they play hard on the defensive end, and they won’t be an easy first-round out. Even if they fall, you can bet their opponent will leave the series beaten up. Spoelstra is 70-23 in his postseason career.

3. Brad Stevens

The Stevens hype has reached a fever pitch. It’s gotten so crazy that now the Celtics players are even saying, “Hey, we deserve some credit, too.” Stevens is an absolute whiz when it comes to X’s and O’s. He’s also a strong leader—his selflessness is contagious.

Danny Ainge made the hire of the decade when he lured Stevens from Butler in 2012. Stevens has gotten better every year in the league—he accrued 25 wins, then 40, then 48, then 53, and now 55. Stevens’ 2016-17 Celtics squad was battered and bruised, but he got them to rally to the Eastern Conference Finals. You can’t expect Stevens to lead his team out of the East this year—they’ve been so damaged by injuries that it’s ridiculous—but expect to see him coaching on the biggest stage in the near future.

2. Steve Kerr

Kerr, like Stevens, is one of the league’s true good guys. He made his name as a player in the ’90s, then became an executive, then emerged as a color commentator for TNT, and he is now one of the NBA’s finest coaches—but success hasn’t gone to his head. As I mentioned, Steve Kerr Syndrome is the disease that afflicts all coaches of ultra-talented rosters. People consistently question how much credit he deserves.

Kerr says he has the easiest job in the world—I disagree. It’s difficult to manage a group of players that talented. Golden State doesn’t have an ego issue, and their humility stems from their leader. Kerr brings a wealth of experience to the sideline. Though he’s had to manage awful-sounding back issues, Kerr has emerged as one of the best coaches in the NBA, and his success in the postseason, where he has gone 47-15 (.758), is indubitable.

1. Gregg Popovich

With a 166-106 postseason record, Pop has the third-most postseason wins of any coach in NBA history, trailing only the legends Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. The only other active coach in the top 10 is L.A.’s Doc Rivers, who has gone 82-79. Pop’s winning percentage (.610) is actually better than that of Riley (.606).

I spent Final Four weekend in San Antonio, and people down there are buzzing about Pop’s Coach of the Year candidacy. The 69-year-old won’t win the award this year—he’s won it three times before—as Stevens, Casey, and Snyder are the leading candidates. The job he’s done coaching his team this year, however, is certainly deserving of applause. He’s led the Kawhi-less Spurs to a solid seed in a hyper-competitive Western Conference truly impressive. Pop has missed only one postseason in his 22 years at the helm of San Antonio, and he’s won five rings. He is the best coach in the playoffs, in our book.