The NBA head coach of the year was announced on Tuesday. If I had the choice, I would have gone with J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons. That is because the Pistons had a spectacular regular season of 60 wins and 22 losses. That was an improvement of 16 wins from the year before.
Instead of Bickerstaff, those who were eligible to vote went with Joe Mazzulla of Johnston, Rhode Island. Mazulla, who coaches the Boston Celtics, was chosen for one reason. He got a lot from his team this past season at a time when the Celtics were without Jayson Tatum for the majority of the year. Tatum only played 16 regular season games as he ruptured his Achilles tendon in game four of the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals between the Celtics and New York Knicks.
It is still interesting that Mazzulla was chosen even though the Celtics had five fewer wins in 2025-26 than 2024-25. In each of the last two seasons, the Celtics have had the second best record in the Eastern Conference. In 2024-25, they were at 61 wins and 21 losses, and three games back of the conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2025-26, the Celtics were at 56 wins and 26 losses, and four games back of the conference leading Pistons.
Even though Mazzulla won the award, and Bickerstaff should have won the award, the best coach in the Eastern Conference at the moment is Mike Brown of Columbus, Ohio. Brown has guided the Knicks to the 2026 NBA Finals. In the postseason, the Knicks have won 11 straight games and have an overall record of 13 wins and two losses.
