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According to Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, the NBA Coach of the Year Award ought to belong to Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Atkinson — Budenholzer’s former assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks — commended Budenholzer for the impressive job the Bucks coach has done. He was also flattered that he was mentioned in the Coach of the Year race.
“Well I hope he has like a huge lead over me. If you look at the standings, the job he’s done is just tremendous. It’s not even a race,” Atkinson said. “ I’m glad I’m mentioned in that race. I think that’s pretty cool coming from Bud’s tree. That’s pretty cool. I’m proud of that.”
The consensus among analysts, reporters, and players themselves point to Mike Budenholzer as the best coach of the 2018-2019 season. His team holds the best record in the league at 58-20 — a 14-win improvement from last year. With fewer than five games remaining in the regular season, the Toronto Raptors are the closest to them and are three games behind.
It’s safe to say that the Bucks will soon lock in the best record in the NBA. As a reward, they’ll get home-court advantage for the entire playoffs, something that will be of value once they go deeper into the postseason. The Eastern Conference playoffs are the most eagerly anticipated portion of the NBA playoffs this spring. The Bucks have joined the Raptors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Boston Celtics, plus the Indiana Pacers, in forming a formidable group of five teams. How the Bucks are against their four best opponents in the East will determine how successful their season ultimately is.
Having Mike Budenholzer on the bench will be even more valuable than home-court advantage for Milwaukee.