NBA Coach of the Year Odds: J.B. Bickerstaff Favored Over Jordan Ott, Joe Mazzulla

The NBA’s Coach of the Year award has gone to the coach of a No. 1 seed in back-to-back seasons, and it appears that trend could continue in the 2025-26 campaign.

Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is the odds-on favorite to win the award with the Pistons making a serious push to have the best record in the NBA during the regular season.

There is a solid chasing pack behind Bickerstaff, as six different coaches have +2000 odds or better to win this award at the All-Star break.

Let’s take a look at the latest odds and the case for some of the top candidates with less than half of the regular season left.

NBA Coach of the Year Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

J.B. Bickerstaff: -165
Jordan Ott: +425
Joe Mazzulla: +600
Mitch Johnson: +1100
Charles Lee: +1500
David Adelman: +2000
Darko Rajakovic: +3000
Erik Spoelstra: +10000
Mike Brown: +15000
Mark Daigneault: +20000
Nick Nurse: +40000
Chris Finch: +40000
Tyronn Lue: +50000
Ime Udoka: +50000

J.B. Bickerstaff

Bickerstaff is a deserved favorite in this market, as the Pistons have made the jump from a playoff team to a No. 1 seed this season.

Detroit has the No. 2 defense in the NBA, and there’s a real chance it’ll finish with the best record in the NBA. That would likely lock up this award for the Pistons’ head coach.

Jordan Ott

The Phoenix Suns were expected to be one of the worst teams in the Western Conference this season, yet they’re firmly in the mix for a playoff spot and currently hold the No. 7 seed. Ott has done a great job getting the most out of several rotation players around Devin Booker while Dillon Brooks has had arguably his best season offensively in the NBA.

The first-year head coach is proving to be one of the best hires of last offseason.

Joe Mazzulla

I’m shocked to see Joe Mazzulla at +600 to win this award given the job he’s done in Boston.

The Celtics have not had Jayson Tatum all season long and moved on from Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason. Yet, they are the No. 2 seed in the East and have the No. 2 offense in the league.

Mazzulla is a tactical genius, and his coaching has allowed Payton Pritchard, Jaylen Brown, Neemias Queta and others to have the best seasons of their careers.

Charles Lee

Charles Lee is rising in the latest Coach of the Year odds, as his Charlotte Hornets have the No. 5 net rating in the league over their last 15 games. Charlotte is inching closer to .500 this season, and it should end up at least in the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference.

Lee has done a great job turning around this franchise after taking the job ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Mitch Johnson

The San Antonio Spurs were expected to push for a playoff spot this season, but Mitch Johnson’s club has done more than just that.

San Antonio is the No. 2 seed in the West and just 3.5 games back of the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs are also 4-1 against the defending champs this season.

Johnson has clearly hit the ground running after taking over for Gregg Popovich on an interim basis last season, the first-year head coach has a really strong case and is priced pretty fairly at +1100. If the Spurs somehow win the West, it’s going to be hard to pass him over for this award.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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