NBA Coach of the Year Betting Odds: Can Anyone Steal Mark Daigneault's Thunder?

It's hard to believe, but we're already past the halfway point of the 2023-24 NBA season -- the All-Star break is mere days away.

If you're just tuning into the NBA season after the NFL's epic 2023 campaign, learning about the Coach of the Year award race can be a great way to get up to speed on the goings-ons in professional basketball. The award often highlights the coaches of the league's standout teams, whether that's from elite on-court production, a team overcoming adversity, or a sudden turnaround by a team that struggled in previous seasons.

If you're looking to find some betting action on this year's Coach of the Year award race, FanDuel Sportsbook's got you covered. The NBA Awards Betting Odds market are packed with up-to-date odds for each of this season's most exciting awards races, including the Coach of the Year.

NBA Coach of the Year Award: Betting Odds

NBA Coach of the Year Award: Betting Odds Analysis

Looking at these Coach of the Year odds, it's clear that there's a top group of contenders pulling away from the rest of the pack. If you don't see a coach listed above, that's because their odds came in at +4800 or longer.

What's not clear is which members of that group truly stand apart from each other. That makes this an exciting market to bet on as the season approaches its final stretch.

Today, we're going to dive into the top contenders' cases for the award and see how they stack up against each other.

Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder (+190)

Mark Daigneault, head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, is this year's front runner.

The Thunder coach finished second overall in last year's voting for Coach of the Year and has only bolstered his case to win the award for his efforts this season. Daigneault finished last season behind Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown, who deservedly took first place for getting the Kings their first division title in 20 years.

Daigneault's work in the 2022-23 season helped earn the Thunder a 40-42 record. That's clearly not great in a vacuum, but the rebuilding franchise had churned out a combined 46-108 record in their previous two combined seasons. That 40-42 record looked like a harbinger of better things to come.

Those better things seem to have arrived, and Daigneault's Thunder stand with a strong 37-17 record heading into the All-Star break -- they're in second place in the entire Western Conference. As last year's winner established, the Coach of the Year award voters like picking coaches who help turn franchises around, and that's something Daigneault has arguably done better than anyone else this season.

Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves (+250)

Unlike Daigneault, Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch wasn't exactly starting from square one with his team. The Wolves had already finished above .500 in each of their first two seasons under Finch, with playoff appearances after both campaigns -- though each culminated in first-round departures.

But it's clear that this year's team is executing on the vision they had a season ago when they traded an absolute haul for Rudy Gobert -- who is now the clear Defensive Player of the Year front runner with -600 odds.

Minnesota is wielding the league's best defense to the top seed in the West, even surpassing Daigneault's Thunder on the scoreboard. They're getting elite production out of stars like Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards while shutting down other teams' stars. It's a compelling case for Finch to win this year's Coach of the Year award, but it just might not be enough to get him the win over Daigneault's turnaround of the Thunder.

However, if Finch's case to win the award is heavily based on his team's elite record, then we need to talk about the team playing down to poor competition lately. Three of Minnesota's recent losses have come to the Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. He'll need to find a way to avoid losses like those going forward if he wants to remain a top contender for the award.

JB Bickerstaff, Cleveland Cavaliers (+410)

The Cleveland Cavaliers have steadily improved in each season under head coach JB Bickerstaff, who signed on as their full-time head coach ahead of the 2020-21 season. That steady improvement appeared to stumble to open the 2023-24 campaign, but since the new year, the Cavs have been on a serious heater. They've won 17 of their last 20 games since January 1st and are now sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs struggled mightily in their second post-LeBron James era, finishing two straight seasons with fewer than 20 wins. Their wins have trended up in each season under Bickerstaff, though, and they could be in position to take first place in the Central Division for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

Their early-season struggles could be attributed to missing key starters. Both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley have missed over 20 of the team's 52 games so far. If we're looking forward to build a case for Bickerstaff to win Coach of the Year, the team's ability to stay competitive without those key players could become a significant argument in his favor.

Bickerstaff's path to win the award is pretty similar to Daigneault's. He has helped a rebuilding team find its footing and has taken that squad to the top of the standings. If his Cavaliers finish the season off strong, and Daigneault's Thunder sputter, we could see their odds of winning the award flip.

Tyronn Lue, Los Angeles Clippers (+650)

Our last coach with odds under the +1500 mark is Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, whose team is 35-17 and in third place in the Western Conference. But as good as the Clippers have been this year -- and compared to previous seasons -- it's hard to see a path for Lue to win.

Like other teams in the running here, the Clippers have overcome their struggles from the previous few seasons to become a fierce competitor in the NBA. But unlike those other teams, the Clippers' success can largely be attributed to having their star players stay healthy -- as opposed to anything specific Lue has contributed to the team.

While previous Clippers campaigns were punctuated by extended absences from stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the duo has missed just seven combined games this season. Los Angeles is outscoring their opponents at a +13.8-point rate per 100 possessions with George and Leonard on the court together, making them one of the most fearsome pairs in the NBA. That makes it hard to attribute the team's success to their coach, meaning Lue could be facing an uphill battle to win Coach of the Year.

The Best of the Rest

The four coaches we've already covered have the best odds to win the award this year, but they're not the only coaches with cases to win it.

For example, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle (+1500) has helped his rebuilding team get back on track and even guided his team to a 6-4 record during star player Tyrese Haliburton's absence. With a strong showing after the break, he could push to become one of the top contenders.

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla (+2300) has his team at the top of the standings again this year. With 42 wins, they're four games up on the next-best team in the NBA. I if they keep up their elite play, it could be tough to keep Mazzulla out of the conversation.

Tom Thibodeau (+2500) -- no stranger to Coach of the Year honors -- has helped the New York Knicks turn into a team to be reckoned with despite multiple injuries to key players. Under his coaching, we've seen Jalen Brunson develop into an All-Star and veterans like Donte DiVincenzo play the best ball of their careers. He might be closer to picking up a third award than his +2500 odds imply.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.