2025 NBA Coach of the Year Award Odds and Predictions

It feels strange to be talking about praising an NBA coach in a year where some of the better options are getting unceremoniously fired. That said, there are some coaches who still have a job in The Association, and some are up for the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year award.

There are many paths to winning NBA Coach of the Year. A coach could raise a struggling team from the ashes and back to relevancy. His squad could finish the year with the best record in basketball. Or perhaps he elevated a solid team to true greatness.

Someone is often left in the dust, though. Just look at last year, when Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazulla didn’t earn the hardware, even though his team ultimately won the NBA Championship.

Nobody said the race for the NBA COY award was always fair, but the guy who wins it is always someone who earned their stripes. Let’s take a look at the latest NBA Coach of the Year odds and see who we like in our NBA picks for this betting market.

NBA Coach of the Year Odds

Check out the latest NBA Coach of the Year odds, courtesy of the best sports betting sites:

Kenny Atkinson is the obvious favorite to win the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year award. Mark Daigneault is definitely in contention since his team has the best record in the league, but he won last year and Atkinson’s Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t far behind.

Regardless, both of these guys offer compelling value, but in different ways. It’s a mild shock you can get Atkinson at such a nice price, but when you consider JB Bickerstaff is a solid contender and JJ Redick’s impressive first season with the Lake Show, this race could be more difficult to call than you’d think.

I’ll break each head coach down below, working my way to my ultimate NBA Coach of the Year prediction. 

Want even more insight and advice when betting on NBA odds and various wagers? Be sure to check out the best handicappers to get high-level data and assistance before placing bets online.

NBA Coach of the Year Contenders

Let’s break down each coach left competing for the NBA Coach of the Year award:

Kenny Atkinson (Cleveland Cavaliers)

This has been an amazing year for Kenny Atkinson, as he and his Cleveland Cavaliers got off to an insane 15-0 start and really never looked back. Cleveland understandably slowed down a bot, but they still won the Central Division and held onto the #1 seed in the Western Conference.

Atkinson isn’t the first guy you’d think would win this award. His lone NBA head coach stop before Cleveland was Brooklyn, where he never won a playoff series. He was unceremoniously dispatched for Steve Nash, so many probably figured that would be the end for the 57-year old.

That hasn’t been the case, as he elevated the Cavs to new heights in his first year on the job, transforming Cleveland into a balanced team that excels at both ends of the floor. The Cavs presently rank #1 in offense and #8 in defense, and some believe they are the frontrunners to win this year’s NBA Finals.

While that is far from certain, Atkinson makes a lot of sense as the favorite to win this award.

JB Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons)

The Detroit Pistons can’t say they rival Kenny Atkinson’s team in terms of wins, but Detroit has been just as good defensively (9th), and JB Bickerstaff has been behind a huge spike in team play and production.

Bickerstaff has had a hand in Cade Cunningham’s rise, as the surging superstar is in consideration to win the NBA Most Improved Player award, and this team as a whole is playing cohesive offense and lights out defense.

More importantly, Detroit was not a pushover in the Central Division. The Pistons routinely gave the top teams in the division a good fight, and did well enough to finish above .500 and punch their ticket into the NBA Playoffs. That’s saying something, seeing as the Pistons haven’t reached the postseason since 2019.

Bickerstaff transformed the Pistons in his first season on the job, taking a 14-win team and upgrading the culture in the process. In fact, he did this despite the team not having much star talent beyond their top point guard, while the team even lost starting shooting guard Jaden Ivy for the year to a knee injury.

All things told, Bickerstaff has the best case to unseat the favored Atkinson for this award.

Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City Thunder)

It’s hard to be taken seriously as an NBA Coach of the Year candidate when you’re already calling the shots for one of the best NBA teams in the league. It’s even harder when you were handed this very trophy as recently as last year.

Winning NBA Coach of the Year two years in a row isn’t impossible, as it’d represent an insane level of dominance. And anyone who knows anything about professional basketball knows how difficult maintaining this level of production can be.

I don’t think it’s very likely Mark Daigneault gets the call in back-to-back campaigns, but I would agree that he’d be deserving of another win if it did happen. The Oklahoma City Thunder navigated some injuries and a tough Northwest Division to put up the league’s best record. If that wasn’t enough, they were incredibly dynamic on offense, and yet put together the most efficient defense in all of basketball.

Are the Thunder the best team in the NBA, and is Mark Daigneault quickly becoming the best coach roaming courtside? Yes, and probably. But winning this award two years in a row isn’t easy, and the competition is remarkably stiff this season.

JJ Redick (Los Angeles Lakers)

There is no denying that first-time head coach JJ Redick has performed above expectations in year one with the Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. has been a regular in the NBA Play-In Tournament, but the second Redick got to town, the Lake Show was back.

Los Angeles got off to a hot start at the beginning of the year, and after braving a mild storm, leveled out to become one of the best teams in the Western Conference. This, despite dealing with injuries to big man Anthony Davis, and ultimately trading the superstar to land the generational Luka Doncic.

Redick has navigated some pretty murky waters in just one season with the Lakers, and yet they are on the cusp of locking up the 3-seed in their conference and have the Pacific Division just about locked up as I write this.

The impact the former sharpshooter has had is easy to see, as the Lakers are 10th in offensive efficiency and 6th in true shooting percentage. It’s compounded by the fact that Redick had absolutely zero head coaching experience prior to landing this position.

All things considered, Redick’s work in one year with the Lakers is arguably more impressive than anything any other coach has done this year.

NBA Coach of the Year Predictions

Ultimately, all roads lead to Kenny Atkinson. I do think it’s fair to say every single coach in the running has a legit case. 

Bickerstaff elevated an awful Pistons team to playoff level play, Redick improved a middling Lakers squad, and you can’t knock Daigneault too much just because his Thunder continue to wreck the league.

Regardless, Atkinson has a narrative of his own as a long-time NBA coach who is finally getting his due. He’s coached up a previously solid Cavs team to title contention status, and he has Cleveland excelling on both ends of the floor.

Cleveland didn’t end the year with the league’s best record or the top overall seed, but the jump in performance should be enough to get Atkinson the nod. In addition, his -250 price tag is pretty darn good for a guy who seems to be a borderline lock to win.

NBA Coach of the Year Prop Bets

Check out the following NBA prop bet, courtesy of Bet365:

Kenny Atkinson vs. The Field

• Kenny Atkinson (-250)
• The Field (+200)

Think you smell an upset coming in the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year race, but aren’t sure who to back? You can take Kenny Atkinson at the same price as before, or you can pool the other COY candidates together at +200.

This is a fine hedge bet if you put a lot of money on Atkinson, but it’s ultimately probably not something you’ll want to do.

It’s interesting, but I still think we’re looking at Atkinson winning this thing. Bickerstaff is the most logical challenger at this point, and you can just get him at a slightly better price.

If you’re not into Atkinson, I’d either just bet on Bickerstaff or roll the dice with someone like Redick due to the upside. That said, I won’t stray from my COY prediction.

NBA Coach of the Year Winners

The following is a list of the most recent Coach of the Year award winners: