The NBA is often considered a player-driven league, but don't get it twisted, coaching is of the utmost importance. The world of head coaching was more hectic last year than perhaps ever before. Numerous coaches were fired in the middle of or late in the season, including Taylor Jenkins and Michael Malone. Teams are clearly showing that they believe winning the championship is impossible if the right person isn't at the helm.
So, who are the best head coaches in the NBA heading into the 2025-26 season?
30. Brian Keefe, Washington Wizards
Brian Keefe has been with the Washington Wizards for a season and a half now. While the roster has been depleted, the team has really shown no signs of life.
The biggest disappointment during the Keefe tenure has been the lack of development from the youngsters. The team has had a surplus of draft picks, but none of them have broken onto the scene as promising future stars. The Wizards seem destined to finish this upcoming season as one of the worst teams in the standings.
29. Jordan Ott, Phoenix Suns
Only time will tell how Jordan Ott will perform as a head coach. The Phoenix Suns hired him to replace Mike Budenholzer. Ott won't have near the superstar talent that Budenholzer had last year. He will also deal with having an unbalanced roster that features a disproportionate number of centers and shooting guards.
Things aren't set up well for Ott to thrive right away, but perhaps he will prove everybody wrong.
28. Willie Green, New Orleans Pelicans
In Willie Green's defense, coaching the New Orleans Pelicans has never been an easy task during his tenure as head coach.
The team is often plagued by injuries and has had questionable roster construction. Even so, the Pelicans seem to disappoint relative to their talent level every season.
27. Charles Lee, Charlotte Hornets
The jury is still out on Charles Lee. The Charlotte Hornets were plagued by injuries during his first season with the team, so last year can be viewed as a wash. However, it is seemingly already do-or-die time for Lee and the Hornets.
26. Chauncey Billups, Portland Trail Blazers
Chauncey Billups earned a contract extension in the eyes of the Portland Trail Blazers, but was it warranted? He has never been able to figure out the team's offense. Players do seem to love him, though, and he has a mind for the game.
With an improving roster, Billups may find a way to prove himself and outcoach this ranking.
25. Doc Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks
Doc Rivers' flaws have been on display for years now, and only his 2008 championship with the Boston Celtics saves his reputation. It likely didn't matter who was leading the Celtics then, either, as Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo formed one of the best cores ever.
Since then, Rivers was never able to break through with the Lob City Los Angeles Clippers, his Philadelphia 76ers regularly fell short, and his basketball wisdom has been questioned with the Milwaukee Bucks. Blown 3-1 leads have perhaps most demonstrated Rivers' coaching shortcomings. Still, he has been a head coach since the '90s and has a championship to his name.
24. Mitch Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
Mitch Johnson had big shoes to fill, taking over for Gregg Popovich as the coach of the San Antonio Spurs. Popovich is one of the best coaches in league history, so hopefully Johnson learned a thing or two from him during their time together before Johnson's promotion.
23. Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls
Billy Donovan's coaching peak was as the coach for the back-to-back national champion Florida Gators.
Since his time in the collegiate ranks, he has become a good but not great professional coach. Donovan coaches to his team's strengths, and that should be applauded.
22. Doug Christie, Sacramento Kings
Doug Christie is a former player, so it makes sense that he is most known for his ability to connect with his players. Christie seemingly has the relationships and leadership side of coaching down, but he will need to improve upon his schematic work.
21. Tuomas Iisalo, Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies like what Toumas Iisalo brings to the table. That is why they were comfortable firing Taylor Jenkins late in the season last year in order to promote Iisalo to interim head coach, and it is why they promoted him to full-time head coaching duties this offseason. His offensive scheme seems tailor-made for a team with Ja Mortant on it.
20. Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks
Jason Kidd is one of the most polarizing coaches in the NBA. He and his teams have never been that consistent, but he is just a year removed from leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals.
The latest trick up Kidd's sleeve is turning number one pick Cooper Flagg into a point guard. Kidd is one of the best point guards in NBA history, so perhaps the shocking decision will pay off during a season in which Kyrie Irving will be sidelined.
19. Darko Rajakovic, Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have been pretty mediocre with Darko Rajakovic at the helm, so it seems fair to place him in the middle of these rankings. The NBA is driven by foreign players more so than ever before, so perhaps the Serbian coach will really start to make a name for himself, too.
18. Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic
Jamahl Mosley is clearly one of the best defensive masterminds in basketball. However, his Orlando Magic have struggled on the offensive end with him at the helm.
17. David Adelman, Denver Nuggets
Michael Malone was fired with just a few games to go in the regular season last year. It was a shocking move, but his replacement, David Adelman, quickly showed that he was a worthy successor.
The Denver Nuggets found newfound life after handing Adelman the reins. That earned him a promotion from interim coach to full-time head coach. Life of a coach with Nikola Jokic on the roster is somewhat easy, and the Nuggets added plenty of much-needed depth in the offseason, but Denver will still need Adelman's help to get them back into the NBA Finals for the first time since 2023.
16. Will Hardy, Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz have been one of the worst teams in the NBA during the Will Hardy era, and their record has regressed each season he has coached the team. Hardy has a combined 85-161 record as a head coach. It is fair to assume that Hardy wasn't ready for the job that he was handed at just 34 years old. However, that couldn't be further from the truth, and Hardy is the future of NBA head coaching.
Utah's struggles could be attributed to tanking/rebuilding. Hardy teams have actually won more games than the Utah front office might have preferred them to. The Jazz believe in him so much that they already gave him a contract extension that runs through 2031.
15. Mike Brown, New York Knicks
Mike Brown has been the head coach for LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. He was an assistant for a team with Stephen Curry.
The New York Knicks are loaded with star talent, so Mike Brown seems like the perfect coach to replace Tom Thibodeau. What Brown will need to do differently from Thibodeau is find depth on the roster and not burn out the starters. He has plenty of NBA experience and should find a way to do so.
14. Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Western Conference is stacked, but Chris Finch has managed to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to back-to-back conference finals appearances regardless.
He did this with two very different rosters; one that featured a Twin Towers duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, and one that replaced the former with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
13. J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons
J.B. Bickerstaff thrives at taking on young teams and teaching them how to grow in the NBA world. He did it with the Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers, and most recently, the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons had the worst losing streak in NBA history before they brought Bickerstaff in. With the same young core, the Pistons were able to become a playoff team with Bickerstaff leading the way. Now, Bickerstaff just needs to prove that he can take the next step and turn a good team into a great one.
12. Quin Snyder, Atlanta Hawks
Quin Snyder had some really good years with the Utah Jazz. He is now with the Atlanta Hawks, but Snyder will need a good season to avoid tumbling down the rankings.
For now, Snyder's reputation keeps him ranked among the best coaches in the NBA, but his Hawks have missed the playoffs twice in a row now, and another playoff absence would be inexcusable this year with how many injuries the conference is plagued with.
11. Jordi Fernandez, Brooklyn Nets
Jordi Fernandez has a tough task ahead of himself. The Brooklyn Nets' coach will have five first-round rookies that he has to find playing time for. That comes on top of having shot chuckers in Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas on the roster, who aren't necessarily the easiest players to scheme with.
If anybody can figure it out, it will be Fernandez. Fernandez is great at developing talent. Particularly, he thrives at turning good players into great ones. Cam Johnson, for example, saw a significant production boost under his leadership, so perhaps he can turn Porter into a star.
10. JJ Redick, Los Angeles Lakers
Prior to becoming the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers last year, JJ Redick's coaching experience extended no deeper than being a volunteer for a fourth-grade team. That doesn't change the fact that Redick clearly knows ball, and his expertise was on display during his rookie coaching season. Redick wasn't thrown into an easy situation, either, as he had to coach a team with LeBron James, a player who often serves as somewhat of a coach in his own right.
Redick demanded his respect, and he made the transition of Luka Doncic joining the team go smoothly, too. In addition to figuring out how to make having two of the most ball-dominant players on one team work, Redick had to navigate the little center depth on the team. He still has a ways to go to prove himself, but Redick has exceeded all expectations and overcome every obstacle so far.
9. Ty Lue, Los Angeles Clippers
Ty Lue won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers during a time when beating the Golden State Warriors was seemingly impossible. His Los Angeles Clippers are known as perennial contenders, despite the fact that they are often injured. Lue can navigate issues outside of his control better than most coaches.
8. Nick Nurse, Philadelphia 76ers
Nick Nurse's Philadelphia 76ers weren't able to overcome a myriad of injuries last season, but the 2019 champion is still one of the best coaches in the NBA. Nobody expected the Raptors to beat the Warriors when Nurse's team won the championship in 2019. His expertise has continued to be noticeable in the years since. Nurse regularly displays innovative strategies and writes up impressive play calls.
7. Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Kenny Atkinson's Cleveland Cavaliers perfectly combine great defense and plenty of offense. That is why the team had one of the longest undefeated streaks ever and earned the number one seed last year. Before coaching the Cavaliers, Atkinson seemingly learned a lot as an assistant with the Warriors.
6. Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat
Erik Spoelstra became the head coach of the Miami Heat as an unknown commodity in 2008. He was just 37 years old and was more of a film expert than a leader of men at the time. Throughout the years, Spoelstra has gotten better and better at his job. He has won two championships and two Coach of the Year awards. He even led two more unsuspecting Heat teams to NBA Finals appearances.
The Heat are known for their “Heat Culture,” and Spoelstra is the main one who instills that. His teams always play hard, and Miami is better than anybody else at turning unheralded players into key contributors.
5. Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics
Joe Mazzulla is entering his fourth season as the head coach of the Boston Celtics, and this upcoming season may be the one that shows his true colors as a coach. The Celtics have had loads of talent during Mazzulla's tenure, but they are down a number of players because of injuries or trades this year.
So far, Mazzulla has shown enough to give fans confidence that the Celtics will still thrive. He led the program to a championship in 2024 while becoming famous for his stoic personality and straight-to-the-point press conferences in the process. Mazzulla is clearly a basketball genius who has mastered the Xs and the Os.
4. Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets
The future was bright for Ime Udoka when he was coaching the Celtics. A relationship with a staff member resulted in Boston firing him, but Udoka has landed on his feet and proven that he can find success anywhere since joining the Houston Rockets. Under Udoka's tutelage, the Rockets went from continually being one of the worst teams in the NBA to being championship contenders.
The team won 52 games and earned the two-seed last year, largely because of a defensive mindset and an impressive culture that Udoka created. Houston's defense thrived despite there being some clear defensive negatives on the roster, including Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. The biggest question mark in Houston this year is the point guard position, but Udoka will likely figure it out despite the fact that Fred VanVleet will be out with a torn ACL.
3. Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
Steve Kerr has caught a lot of flak in recent years for how he has managed this new era of Golden State Warriors basketball. Youngsters haven't developed much under his tutelage as of late, and how he has coached Jonathan Kuminga could be questioned. Still, Kerr deserves to be mentioned among the best coaches in the NBA. He led the Warriors to becoming one of the greatest dynasties ever, and he did it while revolutionizing the game. Kerr helped popularize the 3-point shot and made small ball a viable tactic.
At the end of the day, Kerr has four championships to his name as the coach of the Warriors, and it's a great surprise that he only won the Coach of the Year award once. Winning is the ultimate goal in the NBA, and it always seems to follow Kerr.
2. Mark Daignault, Oklahoma City Thunder
Mark Daignault joined the Oklahoma City Thunder during their rebuilding years. Although it was general manager Sam Presti who built the roster, Daignault has played a huge part in developing the talent that was added to the roster, and it culminated in a championship victory and one of the most dominant seasons ever last season. The Thunder had the largest margin of victory over the course of a season ever last year.
While depth is wanted by all coaches, the surplus of talent the Thunder had didn't necessarily make life easy on Daignault last year. He had to navigate building rotations with 13 or 14 players who deserved minutes on a nightly basis. He was also able to instill a defensive-minded culture, and the team's offense was one of the most pass-happy programs in the league. Daignault played a huge part in turning a number of draft picks into great players, and nobody would be surprised if the Thunder continue to win championships. If they do so, it won't be long until Daignault is viewed as the best coach in the league.
1. Rick Carlisle, Indiana Pacers
Nobody expected the Indiana Pacers to make the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023-24, but Rick Carlisle's coaching expertise helped get them there. Nobody expected the Pacers to make it to the NBA Finals last season, either, yet Carlisle's team took the Thunder to seven games in the championship series. Carlisle's teams are perennially underrated, and the Pacers will certainly exceed expectations yet again despite the fact that Myles Turner bolted for the Bucks and Tyrese Haliburton will be out with a torn Achilles tendon.
Before Carlisle coached the Pacers, he was the long-time leader of the Mavericks. His 2011 championship run is considered by many to be the best championship run ever.
