NBA Coach of the Year: 5 Early Frontrunners for the 2018-19 Season

#2 Nick Nurse

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Amidst unforeseen circumstances in Toronto, 2017-18 Coach of the Year Dwane Casey was fired after the Raptors got swept 4-0 by the Cavs. While Casey's methods had yielded consistent results in the regular season over 4 of his 7 seasons in charge, they had never had the kind of postseason success that would put them over the top as beyond mere playoff fodder.

This year, however, the Raptors have changed tack. Trading DeMar DeRozan away to the San Antonio Spurs for what could possibly be a one-year rental of Kawhi Leonard opens up a lot of avenues for Toronto. Leonard is the best two-way player in the game, bar none. If you want a stop on the defensive end, Kawhi is usually the answer. Ditto if you want a bucket on the other end.

Leonard has already warmed up to the idea of playing in new settings, having had a really engaging meeting with Raps' former assistant and current head coach Nick Nurse last week. Nurse was the guy primarily responsible for the Raptors' revamped offense, which helped them to the second-best record in the league at 59-23 last season with Dwane Casey being primarily a defensive specialist on coaching.

The Raptors have just gotten better after the trade, at least for this year. With all the hate and abuse that he's received over the past several months, do not rule out Kawhi coming back with a vengeance for the Raptors next year. There is a high probability that the Raptors match or exceed their win total from next season, and for that reason, Nick Nurse is up there among the top candidates for Coach of the Year at this point.