NBA Coach of the Year 2025–26 Season: Erik Spoelstra Enters List As Heat's Unguardable Offense Makes Waves (Dec. 1)

The knockout round of the Emirates NBA Cup has concluded, but beyond the in-season tournament, teams and their coaches used this week to showcase why they deserve recognition as the league’s best.

Here’s the latest edition of our NBA Coach of the Year power rankings. Let’s look at who’s climbed and who’s slipped.

NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings

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#5. Ime Udoka (Last week’s ranking: Unranked)

Ime Udoka returns to the rankings after being dropped last week; he previously held the No. 5 spot in Week 3. He earns his place again for guiding the Rockets to victories without Kevin Durant and for deploying an offense that many view as a potential blueprint for the league’s future.

Since the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty, 3-point shooting has long been considered the future of the NBA. Yet Udoka’s Rockets attempt the fewest threes in the league at just 30.9 per game, while ranking No. 2 in offensive rating. How are they achieving this?

By generating extra possessions through dominant rebounding with a double-big lineup of Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, their size and positioning help them grab a league-best 49.4 rebounds per game, including a league-high 16.6 on the offensive glass.

Udoka didn’t invent the double-big lineup, but the Rockets are thriving with it.

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#4. Erik Spoelstra (Last week’s ranking: Unranked)

Making his first appearance in these rankings is Erik Spoelstra, who has essentially overhauled the Heat’s offense. Assisting him was former Grizzlies assistant Noah Laroche, brought in as a consultant to help implement a free-flowing system that doesn’t rely on the pick-and-roll.

According to NBA advanced stats, Miami runs a league-low 5.4 pick-and-rolls per game -- well below the second-worst Utah Jazz at 13.5 and far from league-leading Charlotte Hornets at 24.0. Yet the Heat still average 123.6 points per game, helping them secure the No. 4 record in the Eastern Conference at 13-7 as of Sunday.

They say you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, but Spoelstra seems to be proving otherwise, successfully reinventing the Heat offense.

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#3. JB Bickerstaff (Last week’s ranking: #2)

JB Bickerstaff drops a spot after a two-game losing streak ended the Detroit Pistons’ 13-game winning streak -- an impressive feat in itself. Historically, the only other times Detroit won 13 straight, they went on to win a championship.

But the Pistons’ last three games have been rough, posting the league’s worst assist-to-turnover ratio and turnover rate during that span.

Bickerstaff still has work to do on offense, particularly in integrating Jaden Ivey into the team’s sets, as Ivey has mostly struggled since returning, including a minus-10 rating in 10 minutes during a three-point loss to the Orlando Magic.

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#2. JJ Redick (Last week’s ranking: #3)

JJ Redick jumps up to No. 2 in the rankings.

Analytics may criticize the Lakers, yet Redick is making it work. LA owns the second-longest winning streak in the league, behind only the OKC Thunder -- a team we’ll touch on shortly.

The Lakers’ schedule hasn’t been the toughest, but they’ve gone on a seven-game winning streak since losing to the Thunder, all while seamlessly reintegrating LeBron James into the lineup.

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#1. Mark Daigneault (Last week’s ranking: #1)

Mark Daigneault’s OKC Thunder extended their streak to 12 straight wins on Sunday after handling the Portland Trail Blazers, the team responsible for their only defeat this season.

Jalen Williams has returned, but Isaiah Hartenstein is expected to miss time next. What’s next for the Thunder?

They still boast the league’s best defense by a wide margin, as well as the top net rating. Plus, December’s schedule looks manageable.

These details may seem mundane, but they don’t fully convey Daigneault’s dominance. Why? Because the Thunder are on pace for 78 wins this season.

Historically, the last two coaches to guide teams to 70-win campaigns -- Phil Jackson with the Chicago Bulls and Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors -- both won Coach of the Year.

Other coaches may make their cases, but if the Thunder make history, it will be nearly impossible to overlook Daigneault.