2026 Nba Coach Of The Year Predictions: Nbc Sports Roundtable Gives Their Picks Between Mazzulla, Bickerstaff

Every day this week, the NBC Sports NBA writing crew is breaking down the league's individual postseason awards and giving you their thoughts and predictions. After looking at MVP on Monday, it's Coach of the Year today, a tight race between Boston's Joe Mazzulla and Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff on most ballots. Here's who we've got.

Coach of the Year

Kurt Helin, NBC Sports Lead NBA Writer: Joe Mazzulla

Remember when we all thought this was going to be a "gap year" in Boston? I had the Celtics pegged as a play-in team (I also didn't expect a Jayson Tatum return, or Jaylen Brown to step up the way he did). This was a team that didn't just lose its star for most of the season, but had traded away a lot of veteran depth like Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.

This is where Mazzulla's coaching, the culture he built and the expectations he built into the organization stood out. Neemias Queta thrived in Mazzulla's system and was a quality starting center. Payton Pritchard stepped up in a larger role. Derrick White looked like an All-NBA player. Across the board, Mazzulla inspired role players to be more, put them in positions to succeed, and they did. While J.B. Bickerstaff did something similar in Detroit, the edge for this season — it is Coach of the Year after all — goes to Mazzulla.

Jay Coucher, NBC Sports Lead Betting Analyst: Joe Mazzulla

Flip a coin between Mazzulla and J.B. Bickerstaff, with Mitch Johnson a solid third, and Jordan Ott and Charles Lee deserving of consideration. Mazzulla gets the slight edge over Bickerstaff for somehow turning Boston into a top-four offense and defense in what was supposed to be a gap year.

Raphielle Johnson, NBC Sports Fantasy basketball lead analyst: J.B. Bickerstaff

There are many worthy candidates for this award. Mitch Johnson has done phenomenal work with the Spurs, and Mark Daigneault's ability to keep the Thunder atop the league despite their injuries is commendable. Joe Mazzulla has done great work with the Celtics, ending any talk of a "gap year," and Charles Lee's Hornets have been much-improved.

But I'll take Bickerstaff here. While many expected the Pistons to use last season's experience as a building block, few expected them to run away with the top spot in the East as they have.

Eric Samulski, MLB/NBA Writer, NBC Sports: Joe Mazzulla

This is almost as much of a lock for me as Victor Wembanyama for Defensive Player of the Year. Nobody expected the Celtics to be this good without Jayson Tatum. Let alone after also losing Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet, and AL Horford. Yes, the Celtics have other good players remaining, but Joe Mazzulla's system is so well-entrenched, and the team is so well-coached that it didn't quite matter who was in the lineup; this team just produced.