2026 NBA Coach of the Year Award Picks

J.B. Bickerstaff didn't win Coach of the Year in 2024-2025 despite tripling his club's win total from 14 to 44, but the Pistons bench boss is the leader in the clubhouse at the midway point of this season.

With Detroit running away with the Eastern Conference, is Bickerstaff a lock to capture the award? Let's look at the latest NBA Coach of the Year futures. Odds are subject to change.

COTY
JB Bickerstaff	+130	+130	+130
Jordan Ott	+350	+350	+350
Mitch Johnson	+350	+350	+350
Joe Mazzulla	+450	+450	+450
David Adelman	+3500	+3500	+3500
Darko Rajakovic	+5000	+5000	+5000

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Is Bickerstaff unbeatable?

J.B. Bickerstaff (+130) has his Pistons on pace to win more than 60 games this year. At 31-10 at the halfway point of the NBA season, Detroit is 5.5 games up on the second-place Celtics in the Eastern Conference.

If you're making this wager today and wondering what could go wrong, your primary concern is the health of Cade Cunningham. If the star guard goes down, it's unlikely that Bickerstaff could keep his club atop the East.

J.B. Bickerstaff when asked about if he’s considering shrinking the rotation…

“We play the guys that contribute to winning and that’s everybody.”

Short and sweet! 😳👀#Detroitbasketball pic.twitter.com/Ni2BA9Bl0b

— SleeperPistons (@SleeperPistons) January 17, 2026

Other COY award contenders

Jordan Ott (+350) is putting on a coaching clinic in his first season in the desert. Expected to be a lottery team after jettisoning Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in the offseason, the Suns are instead sitting in sixth in the West at 27-17. Described as a "guru" by Devin Booker, Ott has Phoenix playing as hard as anyone. They're second in steals, third in deflections and tied for fourth in loose balls recovered.

Mitch Johnson (+350) had a hard act to follow after succeeding Gregg Popovich, but his Spurs have the third-best record (30-14) in the NBA despite Victor Wembanyama missing about a quarter of the season to this point. If San Antonio stays healthy in the second half and young players like Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson and Dylan Harper continue to get better, Johnson could bring home the award,

Best longshots

Joe Mazzulla (+450) put up a 182-64 record in his first three seasons in Boston, never winning fewer than 57 games and, of course, winning a championship in 2023-24. However, with Jayson Tatum out of the lineup, he's finally getting the credit he deserves with the Celtics sitting in second place in the East with a 26-16 mark.

Darko Rajakovic (+5000) is worth a shot at 50-1. With a handful of teams in the East within three wins of each other, it's not out of the question that Toronto finishes second in the conference. That would be a tremendous accomplishment for a Raptors club that finished 22 games under .500 last season, especially considering they have no marquee superstars.

The Jordan Ott effect pic.twitter.com/7qCwnMH9RR

— Erik Ruby (@ErikRuby) January 5, 2026

2026 NBA Coach of the Year Award Picks

Voters often award coaches whose teams are atop the standings, such as Kenny Atkinson's Cavaliers (64-18) last year and Mark Daigneault's Thunder in 2024. However, Mike Brown claimed the COY with a 48-34 record with Sacramento in 2023, and Tom Thibodeau won the award for the 41-31 Knicks in 2021.

That's why we'll take Jordan Ott (+350). His Phoenix Suns are on a 50-win pace after being given a 30.5 win total by oddsmakers before the season - firth-worst in the NBA.

Jordan Ott Coach of the Year

+350

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