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The head coach has one of the hardest tasks on the team. He is the one drawing up strategies to win the game, and it's his responsibility to utilize every player to the best of their abilities. A lot of coaches impressed us last year, and their extraordinary efforts will feature them in our NBA Power Rankings. Denver Nuggets' Michael Malone pulled off two 3-1 comebacks last postseason ,while Nick Nurse earned the Coach of the Year award for taking the Toronto Raptors to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference despite losing star player Kawhi Leonard in NBA free agency.
NBA Power Rankings 2020-21: 10 Best NBA coaches ahead of next season
This is not a list of contenders for the Coach of the Year award; it is merely an NBA power ranking based on their current status. The NBA power rankings will inevitably change during the course of the season, and there will certainly be a different list ahead of the postseason. However, many coaches dominate the regular season, so let's take a look at the NBA power rankings of the top 10 NBA coaches ahead of the 2020-21 season.
#10 Brad Stevens - Boston Celtics
Brad Stevens has been the coach of the Boston Celtics since 2013 and has done an incredible job building the team. Young stars such as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are shining under his guidance, and the Boston Celtics have made the playoffs every year since 2014.
He is 10th in our NBA power rankings as the Boston Celtics have been to the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the past four seasons, and Brad Stevens' positionless style of offense in Boston is extremely effective.
#9 Rick Carlisle - Dallas Mavericks
The head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, Rick Carlisle is one of just 11 people to have won an NBA title both as a player and a coach. He has the 9th rank in the NBA power rankings because after consistently missing the playoffs three years in a row, the Dallas Mavericks rose to a 43-win team and posted the best offensive rating in the league last season.
Carlisle is partly responsible for Luka Doncic's meteoric rise in the Mavericks, and the young Slovenian player might win an MVP soon under Carlisle's guidance. Rick Carlisle is also credited with making incredible in-game adjustments that deter opponents from scoring.
#8 Doc Rivers - Philadelphia 76ers
Doc Rivers is considered to be one of the finest coaches in the NBA, and even though this season will be his debut as the Philadelphia 76ers coach, he deserves to be in the NBA power rankings. He is entering his 21st year as an NBA head coach and has made the playoffs 16 times.
Although Doc Rivers has had significant playoff disappointments, he usually leads his team through an incredible regular season. Several players have applauded Doc Rivers' style of coaching, and he is expected to make a major impact for the 76ers.
#7 Frank Vogel - LA Lakers
Frank Vogel won the NBA title in his first season as a head coach for the LA Lakers. He guided the team through an amazing regular season, grabbing the top seed in a stacked Western Conference, and led the LA Lakers on an incredible postseason run.
He is credited with making significant adjustments to the roster as he changed the lineups drastically when required, and his defensive tactics made the LA Lakers one of the toughest defensive teams in the league. Come postseason time, his rank is surely going to increase in the NBA power rankings.
#6 Steve Kerr - Golden State Warriors
The only reason Steve Kerr is so low in the NBA Power Rankings is that the Golden State Warriors had an underwhelming performance last season. Steve Kerr is a legendary NBA figure; he has won 5 titles as a player and 3 as a coach. Kerr holds the record for the best win percentage by any coach in NBA history (min. 400 games).
Steve Kerr is credited with designing one of the most fluid offenses in the league, one of unselfish ball-sharing and off-ball movement. He holds the record for the best regular season in NBA history with 73-9 in 2015-16.
#5 Mike Budenholzer - Milwaukee Bucks
Mike Budenholzer has changed the face of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise. Once he was hired as the Bucks' head coach in 2018, the team posted the best regular-season record in the league for two years in a row.
Mike Budenholzer has designed an incredible offense around Giannis Antetokounmpo, which led to the latter earning two consecutive MVP awards. He is also an incredibly defensive-minded coach, and many people credit the Milwaukee Bucks' defensive strategies to Budenholzer.
#4 Michael Malone - Denver Nuggets
Michael Malone pulled off one of the rarest achievements in the NBA last postseason when he led the Denver Nuggets to two consecutive 3-1 comeback in the same postseason and became the only coach in NBA history to do so.
Michael Malone was hired as the team's head coach a year after Nikola Jokic was drafted, and the offense he has designed in Denver has made Jokic into an All-Star. After missing the playoffs for many years, the Denver Nuggets have been a top 3 Western Conference seed two years in a row.
#3 Gregg Popovich - San Antonio Spurs
Even though the San Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs last season, Gregg Popovich is such a legendary coach that he still makes the ranks 3rd in the NBA Power Rankings. He has been responsible for all 5 of the Spurs' championships and holds the record for the 3rd most wins in NBA coaching history at 1277.
Popovich is expected to lead the Spurs through a rebuild, and his guidance will improve the young players' game.
#2 Nick Nurse - Toronto Raptors
The reigning Coach of the Year, Nick Nurse is considered a defensive genius. He led the Toronto Raptors to their first title in franchise history in 2019, and despite losing All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard in the 2019 offseason, he guided the Raptors to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Nick Nurse has signed an extension with the Toronto Raptors, and the team is expected to be a treat in the Eastern Conference this season, as well.
#1 Erik Spoelstra - Miami Heat
One of the best coaches in the NBA, Erik Spoelstra surprised the entire league last season when he led the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals despite being the No. 5 seed. He pulled off major upsets in the postseason including the top seed Milwaukee Bucks after they ended their 2019-20 campaign in 5 games.
Erik Spoelstra utilized the rookies on his team to the best of their abilities and designed an incredibly lethal offense. Spoelstra got 46% of the votes in the GM survey for the best coach, and the Miami Heat are expected to be one of the top 3 seeds in the Eastern Conference this season.
Also Read: NBA Power Rankings: 5 MVP favorites for the 2020-21 season
Guess the Lakers players!
