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NBA head coaches have a tireless job preparing their teams for every second of NBA basketball. They watch, observe, teach and challenge. The challenge is to motivate their players to execute efficiently so they'll be prepared for the next big moment. In the Western Conference, a few NBA teams are rolling early and despite the Eastern Conference growing in strength, coaches out West are putting their teams in position to win an NBA championship this season.
Let's check out the top 5 Western Conference coaches as of 11/27/21.
#5 Jason Kidd
From up-and-coming reporter Landon Buford -- who covers the Dallas Mavericks:
"After a slow start, the Dallas Mavericks are buying into Jason Kidd's philosophy and coaching scheme of trusting your teammates. It's allowed both Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic to feed off each other as of late!"
When Jason Kidd was hired to coach the Dallas Mavericks - the team he won NBA Co-Rookie of the Year (Grant Hill) and eventually the NBA championship with Dirk Nowitzki leading the charge - Luka Doncic was the focus. Kidd was a defensive triple-double dynamo throughout his career and pairing him with Doncic in a mentorship role will only augment and speed up the phenom's NBA development on both ends. Kristaps Porzingis is no longer a decoy and his string of 20 point games was exactly what the Mavs needed to keep the pressure off Doncic. The Unicorn looks much more free under Kidd early.
The Mavs are currently 5th overall in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9), and while their only other appearance in the top 10 of anything advanced statistically is 8th in defensive rebound percentage (74.6), the 10-8 record is where they should be early in the year. If the Dallas Mavericks are to win against the NBA elite, a focus on defense must be attained or another early playoff exit is on the horizon.
#4 Ty Lue, the most underrated coach in the NBA
When Kawhi Leonard unexpectedly went down with a knee injury that has kept him out of all games early in the season, the onus was on Ty Lue to keep the Los Angeles Clippers together, especially as their rivals the Los Angeles Lakers are dealing with injury issues of their own. A 2015 NBA world championship coach would be a great candidate to restore credibility to the Clippers and Ty Lue has done exactly that. He has alternated lineups and sometimes plays 2 big men at the same time to offset small ball by the opposition.
After a rough start, the Los Angeles Clippers sit at 11-8 which is tied for 3rd out West. LA is 2nd behind the Golden State Warriors with a 103.39 defensive rating, and 7th with a 3.04 net rating. Until Kawhi returns to the bench, defense will be the name of the game that Ty Lue will stamp his personality onto in spades. He is the king of adjustments and as the season wears on, Ty Lue will only make the Los Angeles Clippers as good as they come.
Top 5 NBA coaches continue with the top 3:
#3 Quin Snyder, the NBA up and comer
The 13-7 Utah Jazz, who are 8-2 vs. the Western Conference, are led by the consistency of Quin Snyder. Though the Jazz are currently having internal issues regarding chemistry and the like, Snyder is stressing that his team needs to come together collectively and do more for one another on the court. Here's what he told the media after the Jazz dispatched the New Orleans Pelicans 127-105:
"We're not a selfish team, but I think we as people can — that's probably our nature — think about ourselves. ... Tonight we were thinking about the team. That's one of the beautiful things about this game; when the whole is greater than the sum of the part."
Despite being a candidate for the Duke Blue Devils job after the announcement that Mike Krzyzewski was retiring at the end of this year, the fiery Quin Snyder who has a reputation as an honest and passionate NBA coach, is building a nice squad focused around Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
The Jazz are a balanced team led by Mitchell. Utah is first in offensive rating at 115.75 and 5th in defensive rating at 106.45. Their 9.30 net rating is 2nd in the NBA behind the Golden State Warriors' ridiculous rating of 13.73. The Jazz are first in rebound percentage at 52.8 and 55.6 in effective field goal percentage. Quin Snyder has his team in position to roll, they just have to play together as a unit and the sky is limitless.
#2 Steve Kerr
Surprised to see Steve Kerr at 2? You shouldn't be. The 17-2 Golden State Warriors show a semblance of a return to normalcy with their resurgence. Steve Kerr and the Warriors winning at such a clip just seems right. The Dubs lead the NBA in many statistical categories, including player impact estimate (58.8, defensive rating 101.24, net rating 13.73, assist percentage 70.8, assist ratio 20.8 and effective field goal percentage 56.7). Steve Kerr, a 3-time champion as a coach and 5-time champ as a player, has had a charmed NBA career fraught with hard work, wisdom and experience. He knows his team, allows them to make mistakes, offers his guidance and even without Klay Thompson, Steve Kerr's team is currently the best in the NBA.
#1 Monty Williams, the best coach in the NBA right now
After the Phoenix Suns beat the New York Knicks by 21 Friday night and extended their NBA-high winning streak to 15 games to run their record to 17-3, Kemba Walker had this to say that compliments Monty Williams and his coaching style on and off the floor:
"They just get you moving around. They play really smart basketball, move the ball really well, they play well together, and you could tell those guys really play for one another. They get great looks. Like I said, they really move the ball around and get the best shot.”
We all know Monty Williams' story, but what's important about it is the process of learning by trial and error through the unfortunate happenings in life. After an unsuccessful stint in New Orleans, Monty Williams humbled himself, learned and listened to his peers, and implemented what he was advised to become one of the best coaches in the NBA.
The defending Western Conference Suns are 2nd to the Warriors in player impact estimate (55.6), 7th in offensive rating (112.37) and 3rd in defensive rating (104.78) for a net rating of 7.59. They own a 7th best assist percentage of 61.7 and a 4th best assist to turnover ratio of 2.0. They also have the 3rd most effective field goal percentage of 54.5 and a 3rd best assist ratio of 18.9 with a 4th best pace of 101.43. Last season, Monty Williams was voted NBCA Coach of the Year by his coaching peers, and this season he is looking to garner the win as NBA Coach of the Year.
Guess the Lakers players!
