Each NBA season presents a new crop of NBA coaches that go above and beyond. Many times it doesn’t go to the coach with the best team but the coach who has defied expectations. This year presents quite a few coaches that have gone above and beyond so far.

Kenny Atkinson

Kenny Atkinson is a guy that has to be in serious consideration for the award as of right now. When Atkinson took over the Nets head coaching job two years ago, the Nets were a laughing stock and reeling from their trade with Boston. However, with the help of general manager Sean Marks bringing in some undiscovered talent, Atkinson has been able to lift the Nets out of mediocrity.

Kenny Atkinson, Nets

In his first year, Atkinson’s talent-deprived team only won 18 games. Last season the team finished with 28 wins but you could see the potential. Opposing coaches complimented Atkinson for the way the team played game in and game out.

This season Atkinson has the Nets as a legitimate playoff contender. If the season were to end today the Nets would be in the playoffs. However early on it didn’t seem like it would be this way. Caris LeVert showed he had taken the next step and was ready to be the leader of this team. However, a gruesome injury early in the season against the Timberwolves halted that. The Nets suffered through an eight game losing streak, losing close game after close game. After a players-only film session the team seemed to figure it out and completely turn their season around.

Since their crushing loss to the Thunder, the Nets are 13-5. During this stretch, they reeled off seven straight wins including wins against the Raptors, Lakers, and Sixers. The team is comprised of no superstars but a bunch of tough hard-working players. It’s been a total team effort too. From starters such as D’Angelo Russell and Joe Harris to bench players such as Spencer Dinwiddie and Ed Davis; the team is not only getting better with each game but also fun to watch. Not to mention it’s a very shooter friendly system Atkinson runs. The Nets are currently fourth in the league in 3 pointers made.

Kings, Timberwolves, Dave Joerger

Dave Joerger

The Sacramento Kings are no longer one of the laughing stocks in the Western Conference. Although they have had issues not only in the front office but with ownership, their play on the court is a nice distraction. And they have head coach Dave Joerger to thank for that. Joerger is now in his fifth season as a head coach. He achieved early success as a head coach with Memphis leading the team to three consecutive playoff appearances. The furthest they went was the conference semi-finals in 2014.

When Joerger took over the Kings job last season the team was in complete rebuild mode. They had shipped off Demarcus Cousins to New Orleans and had a bunch of young unproven players. The team finished 32-50 and missed the playoffs, however, you could see a glimpse of the future in some of their players. This season the Kings are playing some good basketball and are in the mix for a playoff spot. Sitting at .500 the Kings are 21-21. They are spearheaded by standout guards De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic. These 3 combined attribute to over 40% of the teams total scoring. In fact, the Kings as a whole know how to score the ball as they are fifth in the league in scoring at just under 115 points per game.

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Willy Cauley-Stein continues to be a towering presence in the paint and rookie Marvin Bagley III looks to get better with each game. What makes what the Kings are doing even more special is that they are one of the youngest teams in the league with an average age of 25 years. If this team could sneak in as an eight seed or even be in contention late into April, it would be an almost Herculean feat in itself.

Mike Malone

The Denver Nuggets are silently one of the best teams in the NBA. They are currently first in the Western Conference and have the third best record in the NBA. Previously with the Sacramento Kings, Malone was fired during the regular season after a slow start. However, since coming to the Mile High City, Malone and the Nuggets have improved each year. Last season Malone’s Nuggets just narrowly missed the playoffs, losing to the Timberwolves in a “win and you’re in” game at the end of the season. That being said the Nuggets had made their presence felt around the league.

Mike Malone, Paul Millsap, Gary Harris
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This season the Nuggets look to have been shot out of a cannon and are out to prove something after missing the playoffs last season. At the forefront of this Nuggets juggernaut is Nikola Jokic a.k.a. the Joker. Jokic has played well enough this season to have his name thrown around briefly in MVP considerations. He has established himself as a top five center in the league and in fact, leads the Nuggets in 4 statistical categories. Jamal Murray has stepped up to become the team’s second best player in only his second year in the league.

What’s impressive about what Denver is doing is the fact they have been hit with the injury bug all season. Will Barton hasn’t played since early October and is still recovering from right hip surgery. Gary Harris has missed quite a few games with a hip injury as well. Aside from that, the Nuggets have a deep bench that continues to produce for them. Denver is actually the second best team in terms of sharing the basketball as they average 27.4 assists per game. If Malone can lead them from missing the playoffs to a top three seed, it would be hard pressed to find a reason not to have him as an award finalist.

Mike Budenholzer

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mike Budenholzer
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The Milwaukee Bucks are in the midst of having one of their best seasons in franchise history. They currently sit at 29-12 which is good for second in the Eastern Conference and first in the Central Division. Budenholzer is in his first season as coach of the Bucks but was previously coach of the Atlanta Hawks. In five seasons with Atlanta Budenholzer led the team to three playoff appearances including a 60 win season in the 2014-2015 season. They were known as the “Spurs of the East” which made sense due to Budenholzer’s long history as an assistant coach under Greg Popovich.

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This year Budenholzer has Milwaukee as a serious contender in the Eastern Conference, and the Greek Freak is a big reason for that. Giannis Antetokounmpo is having an MVP caliber season and has truly emerged as one of the league’s bright young superstars. And the scary thing is that he isn’t even 25 yet. Coupled with Giannis is the resurgence of Brook Lopez. At one point thought of as a dying breed of center in the league, Lopez completely changed his game in his final season in Brooklyn. He became more of a shooter and is now arguably the best 3-point shooting big man in the league.

Around these two is also a nice assortment of quality players such as Malcolm Brogdon, Thon Maker, and Chris Middleton. The Bucks currently lead the league in scoring at 117.2 points and in rebounding at 49.2. Milwaukee made the playoffs last season as the seven seed. But if the Bucks can overtake the Raptors by the end of the season and secure the one seed it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Mike Budenholzer’s name to come up in COTY talks come June.

Doc Rivers, Clippers

Doc Rivers

Although it is a longshot, you can’t ignore what Doc Rivers and his Clippers team have been doing in Los Angeles. As it stands right now they are the best team in Los Angeles. The Clippers are currently right in the middle of the pack of the Western Conference sitting only 4.5 games out of first place. This is River’s sixth season as head coach of the Clippers. In his first 4 seasons, he made the playoffs when the Clippers were “Lob City”. A team spearheaded by Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan.

Lob City much like most good things, had to come to an end at some point. However, one would think it wouldn’t have ended as abruptly as it did. Although all signs have pointed to a rebuild the team has had other thoughts on the season. Though there are no superstars on the team, the roster is comprised of gritty hard-nosed players. They have arguably one of the best defensive backcourts with Lou Williams, Patrick Beverly and Avery Bradley. Lou Williams is once again in the hunt for Sixth Man of the Year. In the frontcourt, players like Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari have led the way in terms of scoring. Harris, in particular, is peaking just at the right time as he will be a free agent at the end of the year.

One of the biggest surprises, however, is Center Montrezl Harrell. His energy and tenacity in the paint just add to the workmanlike approach this team has. The team ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 115.6 and third in 3-point percentage. Although not looked at as a serious title contender this season it will be interesting to see how they finish and what it means for their potential future. This could be one of Rivers’ best coaching jobs if he were to lead them to a playoff birth.