NBA Coach of the Year 2022/23 Odds – Rookie head coach Joe Mazzulla heads betting

Leigh Copson

Editor

Last updated: 02 Mar 2023

Leigh Copson 02 Mar 2023

Share this article

Joe Mazzulla slight favourite for NBA coach award
Mazzulla only took charge of Boston permanently in February
Celtics coach 7/4 ahead of Mike Brown & Michael Malone

(Getty Images)

Joe Mazzulla is the favourite to win NBA Coach of the Year in his first season as a head coach.

Mazzulla joined the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach in 2019, but found himself thrust into the interim head coach roll last September after Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for ‘violating team policies’ with his behaviour away from the court.

Udoka’s suspension, which came just months after Boston lost in the NBA Finals, could have been a huge distraction for the team, but once the 2022/23 season got underway it was clear that Mazzulla had his players focused.

Boston raced out of the blocks by winning 13 of their first 16 games of the campaign, and despite a few dips here and there, which are expected in an 82-game regular season, the Celtics have been stacking up wins to remain a frontrunner in the Eastern Conference.

This has earned Mazzulla the head coach job on a permanent basis, and it has also put the 34-year-old at the head of the betting for NBA Coach of the Year at 7/4 with Unibet.

The Boston Celtics coach is far from a sure-fire thing for the award though, with two other men hot on his heels at this time.

Mike Brown is 9/4 with the bookmakers at this time, having put Sacramento firmly in contention for a playoff place in the Western Conference.

The Kings have not made the postseason since losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs in 2006, but former Cleveland and Los Angeles Lakers coach Brown is on the brink of helping them end that drought in his first season in charge.

He is slightly ahead of 3/1 Michael Malone, who has the Denver Nuggets charging towards the postseason once again.

The Nuggets currently hold a commanding lead at the top of the Western Conference and if they can stay there they will have home court advantage throughout the playoffs, which would be massive for Malone’s team.

Only one other coach is in double digits at this time, with the Memphis Grizzlies’ Taylor Jenkins next up at 8/1 ahead of the 13/1 duo of Brooklyn Nets coach Jacque Vaughan and Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers.

Latest NBA Coach of the Year Odds

7/4 Joe Mazzulla

9/4 Mike Brown

3/1 Michael Malone

8/1 Taylor Jenkins

13/1 Jacque Vaughn

13/1 Doc Rivers

15/1 JB Bickerstaff

25/1 Mike Daigneault

25/1 Mike Budenholzer

25/1 Will Hardy

NBA Coach of the Year FAQs

What is the NBA Coach of the Year award?

The NBA Coach of the Year is given to the head coach perceived to have done the best job during the regular season.

Who won the NBA Coach of the Year award last season?

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams won the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2021/22.

Who has won the most NBA Coach of the Year awards?

Three men have won NBA Coach of the Year three times – Don Nelson (Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors), Pat Riley (Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat) and Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs).