Being a head coach in the NBA brings a ton of uncertainty. It can be rewarding if you are put in an extraordinary situation or a career-ender if you stumble to manage your team. There is no in-between. Not everybody is qualified to coach. Bold signings like Steve Nash and Derek Fisher never panned out in the league despite having played in the NBA for a long time.
Many guys who turned out to be successful coaches never played in the league but did have some basketball background, like playing in the NCAA or experience at the highest level overseas. The job requires countless hours behind the scenes, game plans, team practices, and watching films to prepare for the games against opposing teams during their campaign.
With all that said, let’s rank all the 30 team head coaches for the 2024-2025 NBA season from worst to first.
Who are the top head coaches in the NBA today?
30. Jordi Fernandez (Brooklyn Nets)
Fernandez is one of those head coaches who took the long road to build his career overseas before coming to the NBA in 2009. No doubt he’s a good coach with an extensive background, but he truly needs a miracle to steer this roster into playoff contention. The general rule of thumb when it comes to rebuilding is to have young guys come in and learn from their mistakes. The Nets have a wide mix of veterans who are trying to play well enough to earn their next big contract.
29. Chauncey Billups (Portland Trail Blazers)
Billups is respected by his players, and that’s usually a good sign as a coach in the league. However, the results have been far from pretty since his tenure started with the Blazers in 2021. Even with a competent roster, Billups has struggled to make them competitive. He also has a poor track record in developing prospects.
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28. Brian Keefe (Washington Wizards)
Before his stint with the Wizards, Keefe was hired as an assistant coach by the Nets and was tasked to improve their defense. It’s safe to say that after an 8-31 record with the Wizards last season, his specialty on the defensive side of the floor has not yet materialized for this team.
27. Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls)
Donovan is not necessarily a bad NBA head coach, but he is overreliant on his star players on a nightly basis. Whenever one of his stars sits, you can expect the opposing team to make a run and put the game out of reach.
26. Doc Rivers (Milwaukee Bucks)
Fans have long clamored that Rivers’s heyday as an NBA head coach is overdue. The Bucks were a trainwreck after he assumed responsibilities from former coach Adrian Griffin midway through the 2023-2024 season. He had one good year, and that was with Boston in 2008. Other than that, he’s a well-known playoff choker among the media and the fans.
25. Quin Snyder (Atlanta Hawks)
After the Dejounte Murray experiment failed, it’s quite surprising that Snyder hasn’t received the boot yet going into the 2024-2025 season. He is good with X and O’s but has trouble managing stars in the past. If the losses keep piling up to start the year, Snyder’s tenure with the Hawks might end prematurely.
Also Read: Ranking All 30 NBA Team Head Coaches For 2023 From WORST To FIRST
24. Charles Lee (Charlotte Hornets)
For context, Lee has won two championships as an assistant coach in the NBA before signing with the Hornets in the offseason. He was Boston’s top assistant during their title run in 2024. This might be a very good signing by the Hornets, as Lee is well-respected among the coaches’ circle.
23. Darko Rajakovic (Toronto Raptors)
Rajakovic’s first year with the Raptors was a solid C. There were areas that needed improvement, and the expectations could be met in year two. Losing OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam definitely affected his duties from the sidelines, but he has done an admirable job developing his young players.
22. Kenny Atkinson (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Out with Bickerstaff and in with Atkinson. The Cavs are on a mission to become one of the best teams in the East right now, and Atkinson has his work cut out for him. He inherits a roster that is full of redundancy in multiple positions. Can he pull it off and turn their perceived disadvantage into an advantage? He has the coaching background to do so.
21. JJ Redick (Los Angeles Lakers)
This ranking might be a bit too high for a newbie NBA head coach like JJ Redick, but if we are to believe all the reports coming from the Lakers camp, he has been fantastic so far in his job. It also doesn’t hurt that before all this fiasco, Redick and LeBron James had a successful joint podcast together earlier this year. Redick has played his cards well, as he has been meticulously active with the Lakers since joining them over the summer.
20. J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons)
J.B. Bickerstaff is an underrated NBA head coach. The job he has done for the Cavaliers in the past few years was excellent. He now has his hands full on a rebuilding team like the Pistons, which was a disaster after Monty Williams’s tenure.
19. Will Hardy (Utah Jazz)
One of the youngest coaches in the NBA right now, Hardy has done an admirable job with the Jazz. It’s not his fault that the current roster construction is mediocre at best, as the ownership wants to stay competitive during the rebuilding process. He is good at developing young talent and rejuvenating the careers of has-beens.
18. Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies)
Due to Morant’s absence, the Grizzlies suffered a massive setback last season after years of progress. Jenkins had to be creative with his coaching, and that led to the discovery of talented guys who were once perceived as fringe NBA players. This is a huge year for Jenkins and the Grizzlies. They are adamant to continue their success on the court with everybody back healthy.
17. Willie Green (New Orleans Pelicans)
Green has yet to taste playoff success with the Pelicans since his tenure started in 2021. However, most of his bad luck came from injuries to his players, particularly Zion Williamson. Despite all of the setbacks, Green has done a great job making this team competitive night in and night out.
16. Jamahl Mosley (Orlando Magic)
Mosley has done an awesome job so far and truly worked his magic for this young Orlando team. Even though they weren’t projected to become a playoff team last season, they defied all expectations and secured a guaranteed postseason spot in the East. His background as a development coach paid off for this up-and-coming franchise.
15. Mike Budenholzer (Phoenix Suns)
After sitting out for the 2023-2024 season, Mike Budenholzer is back as a head coach in the NBA. If there’s a coach right now who knows how to handle the trio of Durant, Booker, and Beal, you can bet it’s Budenholzer. He has experience in how to win at the highest level.
14. Mike Brown (Sacramento Kings)
Despite winning a couple of NBA Coach of the Year awards throughout his career, Brown failed to steer the Kings to a guaranteed playoff spot last season despite having an intact roster. Bigger things are expected from him and his team this year due to the addition of DeMar DeRozan.
13. Nick Nurse (Philadelphia 76ers)
While Nurse is a good head coach, it feels like he’s lost a step or two during his time with the Sixers. Embiid still has not reached the Conference Finals in his career, and with the East becoming loaded, the path will get harder for them this season. But if there’s a coach who can maximize the talent on his roster despite inconsistencies and injury woes, it’s Nick Nurse.
12. Ime Udoka (Houston Rockets)
Have you seen Houston play in the preseason? They are a fun squad to watch. It looks like this will be a great season for Udoka and the Rockets. The game has finally slowed down for their young guns, and they are playing with a renewed sense of purpose. With Udoka’s guidance, they are going to be a dark horse team in the Western Conference this year.
11. Chris Finch (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Finch did a great job with the Wolves last season. In such a short span, they went from nobody to possible contenders. Rudy Gobert won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award, and Anthony Edwards elevated his game to newer heights. While it remains to be seen how the Wolves will perform this season with Karl-Anthony Towns gone, the optimism to have another good year is at an all-time high.
10. Tyronne Lue (Los Angeles Clippers)
Lue does not get enough credit for how difficult it is to coach a team like the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard is constantly injured, and James Harden’s game has aged the opposite of a fine wine. With Paul George out of the picture, the 2024-2025 season will get tougher for Lue and for the rest of his coaching staff.
9. Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Daigneault had his fair share of highs and lows with OKC. They were one of the top teams in the loaded Western Conference last season. However, they faltered against the Mavs despite employing a foolproof game plan to slow down Luka Doncic in the playoffs. With a new-look roster, expect Daigneault to learn from his mistakes and make this young Thunder squad as deadly as ever in their campaign this year.
8. Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)
Kidd is not a good X and O kind of guy on the floor. What he does well is motivate. He is a good motivator for the Mavs, especially when things get tough during a game. It also does not hurt that he has Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving at his disposal whenever the team needs timely buckets to make the game winnable. But don’t make the mistake of underestimating Kidd. He has steered this team to a couple of Western Conference Finals appearances and an NBA Finals, too.
7. Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors)
Did the legendary Steve Kerr lose his magic touch as an NBA head coach? Perhaps yes and no. The Warriors’ core players are aging. While Steph Curry remains as dominant as ever, the same can’t be said for the rest of the team. Kerr failed to contain Draymond Green’s outbursts, which led to multiple suspensions. He also had communication issues with Klay Thompson throughout the year, which led the latter to leave the Dubs and sign with the Mavs over the summer.
6. Rick Carlisle (Indiana Pacers)
What defense? Carlisle transformed the Pacers into offensive juggernauts in just his first season with the team. They had the pieces to do it, too, with Tyrese Haliburton at the point. The addition of Pascal Siakam via the trade deadline made them a more potent team on the court. The expectations for them this year are at an all-time high.
5. Mike Malone (Denver Nuggets)
Malone and the Nuggets struggled to repeat as champs as the Western Conference became too competitive to their liking. With Jamal Murray’s inconsistencies, Malone had no choice but to rely upon Jokic to steer the team out of tough situations. It’s hard to bet against the Nuggets with Malone at the helm. It’s safe to say that they will remain one of the top teams in the NBA this year.
4. Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)
Regardless of San Antonio’s record, Popovich remains one of the best head coaches in the NBA. Have you seen Victor Wembanyama’s development from October to April? He was as good as advertised, maybe even more. We just hope that Pop will still be as witty as ever when the Spurs become a dynasty again in the very near future.
3. Tom Thibodeau (New York Knicks)
You have to admire Coach Thibs’s resilience. Even when the Knicks were decimated by injuries, they still had a great postseason run. He demanded his players to play above their capabilities, and the results were fantastic. Jalen Brunson became a superstar for them, and the rest of the team played above expectations. With a pretty loaded roster for the 2024-2025 season, it won’t be surprising if the Knicks make their first Finals appearance since 1999.
2. Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat)
One of the longest-tenured head coaches in the NBA right now, Coach Spo is as savvy as it gets when it comes to leading a team to repeated success. He’s a student of the game and calls out plays before his players can even see them in real-time. Plus, nobody ever counts out the Heat, especially in the playoffs. Everybody knows that they can get into a higher gear when the real games start.
1. Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics)
At just 36, Mazzulla is the best head coach in the NBA right now. While it’s easy to point out that he inherited an already-loaded roster a couple of years ago, the job he has done with it, especially with the Celtics’ recent success, has been remarkable. Mazzulla is obsessed with the game of basketball. He deflects any credit and preaches to his players not to be content with what they have achieved. In addition, his mental toughness has been praised by every member of the Boston Celtics organization. He’s as stoic as it gets.
