By Larry Rupp
The 2021-22 NBA season is already three months in and a separation is beginning to form between the pretenders and the contenders in each conference. It’s no different in the NBA Coach of the Year odds, either. A rather crowded race for the award is made up of a mix of young and old as well as new and experienced.
With that in mind, here are three of the best bets to make when placing a wager on who will be named NBA Coach of the Year. All odds are according to DraftKings.
Safest Bet: Monty Williams, Phoenix Suns (+350)
There isn’t a clear-cut favorite as of yet, but a lot of signs point to the Suns’ Monty Williams having the best shot to take home the honors. He finished as the runner-up to Tom Thibodeau last season after leading his squad to its first NBA Finals appearance in 28 years. In fact, it was the smallest margin of victory since the current voting format was first put into place (2002-03). Williams practically couldn’t have gotten any closer to winning.
The Suns have shown no trouble keeping their momentum going given they are currently battling for the Western Conference’s top spot alongside the Warriors. Simply put, the offensive system Williams has put into place regularly allows his players to get open shots. Don’t be surprised if he finishes on top this time around.
“We got more to do and more to come.”
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 3, 2021
🗣 Coach Monty Williams pic.twitter.com/pRUoQMZdXR
Underrated Odds: Billy Donovan (+650)
Bettors looking to get a bit more bang for their buck should target Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls. It’s safe to say no one expected the Bulls to be in consideration for a top three seed in the Eastern Conference about a third of the way through the season. Yet, that is exactly what is happening. Donovan has been able to mold free-agent signee DeMar DeRozan perfectly into the lineup, which has allowed the 13th-year pro to post the second-highest scoring average of his career.
The Bulls just finished dealing with COVID-19 issues on the roster and it caused a number of games to be postponed. The adversity Donovan is having to experience gives him an opportunity to show how much of an impact he can truly make in Chicago. His odds may not be this low again.
Your Eastern Conference Coach of the Month… Billy Donovan! pic.twitter.com/dnXMMdDKc5
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 2, 2021
Long-Shot Bet: Erik Spoelstra (+1600)
The Miami Heat have gone through it all early on this season. Multiple starters including Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have spent time on the sidelines with various injuries. They have also played through one of the toughest schedules in the league. Coach Erik Spoelstra is still guiding this team to wins, though, as the Heat continue to cruise well over the .500 mark.
It may be a shock to hear that Spoelstra has never been named the NBA Coach of the Year, not even when his Miami squad won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. There’s a chance that changes at the end of this season. After all, he is constantly finding diamonds in the rough and turning them into legitimate starters (Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent, etc.) Don’t underestimate the 51-year-old here.
"Everybody's pouring their hearts and souls into this"
— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) December 16, 2021
Erik Spoelstra talks big HEAT win after coming up with the victory while shorthanded in Philly!@MiamiHEAT | #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/wwoy7b2pFV
Picture Credit: Flickr
