2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year Odds and Predictions

Mark Daigneault will aim to be the first repeat NBA Coach of the Year winner in league history when the 2024-25 NBA season fires off. Needless to say, that makes him a bad bet.

As they say on Bluey, that’s not the done thing.

As amazing as he was last year (when he won it), the NBA tends to crown someone new. A big reason why? Another coach/team impresses after taking a huge leap or enjoying a borderline historical season.

Maybe if Daigneault and his Oklahoma City Thunder win 70+ games we can circle back to this conversation. Until then, you’re better off looking elsewhere when sizing up the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year odds.

But where? And with who? I’ve got you covered, as I’ll break down the latest pricing at the top NBA betting sites en route to my winner prediction for this season.

NBA Coach of the Year Odds

You can find the following NBA Coach of the Year odds at most online sports betting sites.

Joe Mazulla opens things up with appealing +900 odds. It’s honestly kind of crazy he didn’t win last year, but I understand why – he coached a God squad. Still, his Boston Celtics were dominant all year, and they eventually won the NBA Finals.

The problem might be that he will likely have to do something bigger and better for an encore to really have a shot. That, or he’ll just have to hope there are no genuine surprises in the field this year.

One such surprise could come in the form of Jamahl Mosley, who leads the rising Orlando Magic. To this point the Magic have been good, but not elite. If Mosley can elevate the Magic to a whole new status, he could be cooking with gas.

There’s even more value as we work our way down the line, but I have some specific NBA picks for this betting market that I prefer more than others. Let’s first discuss whether or not betting on Mazzula is worth your time, and then go over his biggest competition.

Why is Joe Mazulla Favored to Win the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year?

Winning the NBA Finals is a heck of a drug. It is quite arguable Joe Mazulla should have won the NBA Coach of the Year award last year, but you can also point to the fact that he took over a team ready to contend for a title.

Still, Mazulla navigated some injuries en route to a stellar 64-18 record and first place in the Eastern Conference. Throughout the season, Boston was a tough team to stop offensively, and they were also an efficient defense. The Celtics were also thoroughly dominant at home (37-4!).

Mazulla didn’t get credit for that amazing run, but it’s likely he’d get credit if Boston somehow managed to be even better. That’d mean the Celtics win more games, and do so despite enduring a lengthy postseason run and having a target on their backs from the rest of the league.

He will have to contend with viable candidates, however, and reigning champion coaches aren’t the best bets to secure the hardware. His team, even though he deserves some of the credit, is now firmly established as one of (if not the) best teams in the entire league.

Mazulla will be in the running, but he might need a magical season to live up to these odds.

One of the easiest NBA picks to make this year is Boston making the playoffs. They’ll also probably win their division and lock up the #1 seed again, too. Heck, I’d imagine they’re going to repeat as NBA champs. 

The question will be if they see enough of a spike to earn Mazulla what he probably should have won a year ago.

Top 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year Contenders

Since I don’t see Joe Mazulla as a lock in the least, I’d definitely pay some mind to the following 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year contenders.

Jamahl Mosley +950

Let’s start my NBA Coach of the Year contenders list off with Mosley, who has been running the show for the Orlando Magic since the 2021-22 season.

Orlando was a disastrous 22-60 that year, but they’ve since added some nice talent and progressed significantly. Mosley got them to 34 wins in his second season, and last year they lept to a strong 47-35 record, as well as first place in the Southeast Division.

The Magic have a shot at repeating as division champs, but more than that, it’s possible they could improve even further. Mosley certainly has this team playing elite team defense, as Orlando graded out as the second best defense last year in terms of efficiency.

Offensively, the Magic leave a lot to be desired. That could be a problem for Mosley as he tries to win this award, plus it’s tough to argue that Orlando is about to suddenly push for 60 wins – the type of leap he may require to be seriously considered for this award.

Orlando is in a good spot because of Mosley, so he’s a viable contender if you believe they continue to be a playoff team. Whether or not you actually bet on him to win will come down to his team’s overall upside, however.

JJ Redick +1200

Upside is something the Los Angeles Lakers have. There is a lot of belief surrounding the Lake Show, specifically because the organization rolled the dice and replaced former head coach Darvin Ham with the inexperienced JJ Redick.

There is no denying the reason for intrigue here. Ham was not the best with lineups and in-game adjustments, and you could argue he held an underrated Lakers squad back.

Redick is best known for being a sharpshooter in the pros, but he’s caused waves since retiring, as he has a successful podcast and has been seen winning heated debates against Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take.

Does any of that guarantee he can be a successful NBA head coach? No, but he does have some pointed opinions as far as how he thinks he can fix the Lakers. Should Redick’s strategy pan out, the Lakers could elevate from the 43-39 team they were a year ago and potentially push for 50+ wins.

Anthony Davis and LeBron James lead a talented Lakers roster that may be some sound direction away from another title run. If the Lakers are put back on the map this year as a legit contender, it’d be awfully difficult to ignore Redick as a COY candidate.

Taylor Jenkins +1200

There’s also Taylor Jenkins, who probably should have won Coach of the Year in the past, but may have his best shot at the award yet in 2024-25.

Jenskins has worked some serious magic in recent years, as he’s had to sit court side without Ja Morant for far too many games – not to mention dealing with countless injuries to his Memphis Grizzlies roster.

You can argue against his actual coaching ability, but the reality is this award loves big spikes and credits coaches for it. I’m not sure anyone is realistically in for the spike Memphis might be looking at, as this franchise won just 27 games a year ago, but will finally be healthy this season.

The return of Morant is the biggest news, and the last time he was around full-time they won 51 games and finished first place in the Southwest Division. Morant is just one piece to the puzzle, though, as this entire team is loaded with talent and will be chomping at the bit to put last year’s lost season in the rearview mirror.

Health is a big reason I like Memphis to win the 2024-25 NBA Cup this year, and it’s very possible they could threaten for a lot more than that. The potential of them going from 27 wins to 50+ again absolutely places Taylor Jenkins among the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year frontrunners.

Best 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year Value Bet

The best NBA Coach of the Year sleeper pick has to be Mike Budenholzer. I honestly think most of the coaches in the top half of the odds list offer pretty good value, but none better than Bud.

Budenholzer could be rewarded right away in 2024-25, depending on what he can do with a star-studded Phoenix Suns squad that has to this point disappointed. When the franchise acquired big names in Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, everyone figured this team was going to win the NBA Finals.

Not so much. Instead, they’re onto their third coach in three seasons, as they haven’t been able to hit 50+ wins, nor advance past the Western Conference Semifinals during that span.

My guess is at least the first part will change for the better this year. Budenholzer took a break after being axed by the Milwaukee Bucks, but all this guy knows how to do is win. The 55-year old head coach has claimed this trophy twice before, as he has a proven history of building regular season juggernauts.

Bud has coached his teams to 50+ wins in four of his last five seasons, and he takes over an extremely talented Suns roster that is dripping with upside. Whether or not they can do anything of substance come playoff time is open for debate, but with Budenholzer calling the shots, a 55-60 win season is not out of the question.

That type of success would give Phoenix their best record since 2021-22, and might put them on a championship-winning trajectory. All things told, nobody has better NBA odds for this market. The question is just whether or not the Suns will actually see enough of a spike to get Bud the win.

Of course, this is just the best value for this market. For all kinds of other betting value, make sure you’re using the top sports betting handicapping services out there.

2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year Predictions

NBA coaches who guide their teams to dominant seasons have a shot at winning this award. 

But that isn’t always enough. Mazulla not winning last year is a pretty good example of that, so you need a compelling narrative to ride with at times.

It can be a historic run or a first place finish, or it can be a meteoric rise from the ashes. Often it’s a combination of those things, like what we saw out of the Oklahoma City Thunder a year ago.

There are a few instances where that’s something to monitor this year, but none more so than with Taylor Jenkins and the Memphis Grizzlies. I could easily be wrong about Memphis instantly turning back into a serious problem for the rest of the NBA.

However, Ja Morant is back, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are ready to take that next step in their development, and incoming NBA Draft pick Zach Edey gives them a tantalizing big man to lean on down low.

All of this sounds good and should have Memphis at the very least back in the playoff picture. 

Considering where they were a season ago due to so many injuries, simply getting back into the playoff picture at any level will give Taylor Jenkins a shot. But if you look at how he kept his skeleton crew lineups focused, motivated, and playing hard, you know how high of a ceiling a finally healthy Grizz squad actually has.

Nothing is guaranteed in sports betting – not to mention NBA betting – but there is a clear path to winning the NBA Coach of the Year award for Taylor Jenkins and he offers an awesome price.

Recent NBA Coach of the Year Winners