NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings featuring JB Bickerstaff, Monty Williams and more | February 25th, 2021

We are getting back into NBA regular-season action after the All-Star break and the teams have roughly 23-24 games remaining. There haven't been many games in the last week due to the break, so the standings haven't changed much at all. Similarly, there is minimal change in any of the end-of-the-season award races, including the NBA Coach of the Year award.

The top teams in the Western Conference have been the same for weeks, while the East has been quite chaotic. Coach Erik Spoelstra is on pace to re-enter the top five of the Coach of the Year power rankings as the Miami Heat are leading the East despite facing injuries and hardships all season.

Coaches Quin Snyder, Doc Rivers, Steve Nash and Mike Budenholzer are out of the top five of the race despite having title-contending teams as the other coaches have a major case over them.

Coaches like Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics and Mike Malone of the Denver Nuggets do have a strong chance of entering the race, but their teams will need to perform spectacularly down the stretch of the season.

On that note, let's take a look at the top five of the NBA Coach of the Year power rankings by Sportskeeda.

#5 J.B. Bickerstaff

Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff

Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 5th (-)

Last Week: Games played - ; Games won - ; Games lost -

Overall: Games played - 58; Games won - 35; Games lost - 23

Offensive Rating: 110.8 (18th of 30)

Defensive Rating: 106.5 (4th of 30)

Average Points Scored: 106.7 (23rd of 30)

Average Points Conceded: 102.5 (1st of 30)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the dark horse to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. They are a group of young guns who play as a team and defend at an extremely high level. They are first in the NBA in points allowed and fourth in overall defensive rating.

Coach JB Bickerstaff has been excellent in rallying his men in the face of adversity. They lost Collin Sexton to a season-ending injury in November but are still dominating with a lineup featuring multiple seven-footers.

#4 Steve Kerr

Coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors

Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 4th (-)

Last Week: Games played - ; Games won - ; Games lost -

Overall: Games played - 59; Games won - 42; Games lost - 17

Offensive Rating: 111.8 (12th of 30)

Defensive Rating: 104.8 (1st of 30)

Average Points Scored: 110.6 (12th of 30)

Average Points Conceded: 103.7 (4th of 30)

The Golden State Warriors enter the second half of the season having lost four of their last five games, and that is primarily why coach Steve Kerr is slipping in the Coach of the Year ladder.

They do still possess the league's best defensive rating but have been abysmal on that end lately without Draymond Green on the floor. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson seem to be out of their shooting slumps, so the Dubs should have an interesting 23 remaining games as their players steadily return from injury.

#3 Billy Donovan

Coach Billy Donovan talks with Tony Bradley of the Chicago Bulls.

Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 3rd (-)

Last Week: Games played - ; Games won - ; Games lost -

Overall: Games played - 59; Games won - 38; Games lost - 21

Offensive Rating: 114.1 (3rd of 30)

Defensive Rating: 111.8 (20th of 30)

Average Points Scored: 112.6 (7th of 30)

Average Points Conceded: 110.4 (18th of 30)

The Chicago Bulls have dominated the East despite losing Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball for a major part of the season. Coach Billy Donovan has done a fabulous job of keeping the ship afloat with innovative strategies.

DeMar DeRozan is pushing his MVP case, and coach Donovan deserves a lot of the credit for his incredible season. Originally considered a bad experiment introducing DeRozan to the Bulls lineup, coach Donovan has ensured to utilize his star players to the best of their abilities.

#2 Taylor Jenkins

Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies talks with coach Taylor Jenkins.

Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 2nd (-)

Last Week: Games played - ; Games won - ; Games lost -

Overall: Games played - 60; Games won - 41; Games lost - 19

Offensive Rating: 113.6 (5th of 30)

Defensive Rating: 108.8 (7th of 30)

Average Points Scored: 113.8 (2nd of 30)

Average Points Conceded: 109.0 (14th of 30)

The Memphis Grizzlies are the dark horse to win the West right now. They are embarrassing teams with their physicality and defense. Multiple analysts have picked them to make it to the NBA Finals, over teams like the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns.

Coach Taylor Jenkins has turned this franchise into a Western Conference powerhouse. And even if they have an early playoff exit, they have established themselves a top free-agent destination. They are currently one of the few teams that are top 10 in the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating.

#1 Monty Williams

Coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns talks with Chris Paul.

Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 1st (-)

Last Week: Games played - ; Games won - ; Games lost -

Overall: Games played - 58; Games won - 48; Games lost - 10

Offensive Rating: 114.1 (4th of 30)

Defensive Rating: 105.9 (3rd of 30)

Average Points Scored: 113.7 (4th of 30)

Average Points Conceded: 105.5 (6th of 30)

The Phoenix Suns have lost just 10 of their first 58 games this season and are on pace to break the franchise record for wins in a season (62). However, superstar point guard Chris Paul fractured his thumb and is out for the next six-to-eight weeks. With that being the case, the Suns might lose a few games down the stretch.

Devin Booker and the rest of the role players are expected to have added contributions moving forward to sustain the remaining schedule without CP3. If coach Monty Williams manages to hold on to the first seed and still cross 63 wins, then he will likely be the award's frontrunner.

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