Oklahoma City Thunder’s Mark Daigneault received eighty-nine 1st Place Votes to win the 2023/24 NBA Coach of the Year Award. The 39-year-old swept the board as he guided his young team to 57-25 as the top seed in the Western Conference, becoming just the second Thunder coach to claim the award.
The futures market for the new NBA season has Boston’s Joe Mazzulla as the favorite to scoop up the prestigious award. The NBA Coach of the Year Award is one of many popular basketball futures markets that can be found at online betting sites.
Whether it’s forecasting who will be crowned NBA Champions, or backing a soccer selection from ClubSport predictions, which is a site that boasts many stats and tips, looking at season-long pictures in sports is fascinating.
The race for the NBA Championship starts on October 22nd, 2024 and at the end of the long journey, who will get the most votes for Coach of the Year?
Mazzulla the Front Runner
Joe Mazzulla is the +900 front-runner to win the 2024/25 NBA Coach of the Year Award. He was fourth in last season’s voting, despite the Celtics being crowned the champions as top Eastern seeds.
Mazzulla has given Boston such a great mindset since taking over, but he has also had an enviable roster. The talented depth at the franchise meant that the Celtics went into last season as one of the favorites to win the Championship, so there was an element of Mazzulla just living up to expectations.
But as often seen in betting markets from bookmakers listed at rating site ClubSport, silverware often counts for a lot in Head Coach Awards, particularly in top soccer leagues. A potential title defense in 2025 would likely see young coach Mazzulla pull in more votes than he did last term.
Taylor Jenkins
Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins could be in the mix as well for the 2025 NBA Coach of the Year Award. The Grizzlies are an innovative team and after failing to reach the Playoffs last season, there’s plenty of scope for improvement.
A big factor for Jenkins getting in the running is that Tuomas Iisalo has joined his coaching staff. As a coach, the former Shooting Guard has won the EuroCup, and Champions League and won several Coach of the Year awards in Europe.
That could add another dimension to Jenkins and the Grizzlies, who already like to play a fast, offensive game. A strong season could put long-term Memphis servant Jenkins in the frame for the award from a pre-season +1300 quote.
Tom Thibodeau
At the same quote as Jenkins in the early NBA Coach of the Year 2025 Award betting picture, is Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks fell at the Eastern Conference semi-final stage last season and Thibodeau agreed to a three-year contract extension with the franchise.
He is a two-time former NBA Coach of the Year and was fifth in last season’s voting. If the Knicks can just go that couple of steps further from their current platform and land that first NBA title since 1973, Thibodeau is respected enough to pull in plenty of votes and sweep the voting.
The offseason acquisition of Mikal Bridges has been a big coup for the Knicks and now Thibodeau could be heading into the new season with one of the best rosters he has ever had at his disposal.
Other Names In The Mix
The early betting markets are quite tight among the obvious contenders. The 76ers’ Nick Nurse is there alongside the Daigneault quote, which is a surprise. The 76ers were eliminated by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference First Round last term and while they picked up Buddy Hield earlier this year, they are still looking for additional pieces.
Jamahl Mosley (Magic), Ime Udoka (Rockets) and Chris Finch (Timberwolves) are all there at the +1300 quote alongside Thibodeau. The Mavericks’ Jason Kidd has had great success in Dallas with two Western Conference Final appearances in the last three years, getting to the Finals last term.
Kidd, often underrated, dealt with a lot of in-season injuries but still pulled a successful campaign together and got the better of Dagneault’s Thunder in last season’s Playoffs. He’s 140-106 since taking over in Dallas and while he has his critics and just picked up a contract extension. From a long +2500 quote, Kidd could be the big dark horse in the field.