Bickerstaff, Daigneault, Few Named Team USA Assistant Coaches
As expected, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and Gonzaga head coach Mark Few have been named assistant coaches for the U.S. men’s national team for the 2027 FIBA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, USA Basketball confirmed in a press release.
The three assistants were selected by USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill.
“This is a huge step in terms of putting together the leadership team,” Hill said, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “One of the really neat parts is watching these great minds work together, collaborate, problem solve and figure out this journey, which is not as easy as everyone might think. With Mark, with J.B. and with Mark Few, we’ve got talented people who happen to be good people as well. And so, I’m beyond thrilled.”
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that the three veteran coaches were expected to become assistants under head coach Erik Spoelstra, who was named the top coach for the men’s national team last October, having replaced Steve Kerr.
Bickerstaff has helped lead a dramatic turnaround in Detroit, which had the worst record in the league (14-68) in the season before he was hired. Over the past two years with the 47-year-old at the helm, the Pistons have gone 44-38 and 60-22, making the playoffs on each occasion.
Bickerstaff also serves as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, having replaced longtime president Rick Carlisle at the end of December.
Daigneault, 41, has been Oklahoma City’s head coach since 2020. After guiding the club through a rebuild in his first three seasons, the Thunder have won 57, 68 and 64 games over the past three years, including winning the championship in 2025. He was named Coach of the Year for the 2023/24 season.
Few, who has led Bulldogs to a pair of NCAA championship games and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next month, is a carryover from the previous national team cycle, when the Americans finished in fourth place at the 2023 World Cup and won the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics — he was an assistant under Kerr alongside Spoelstra and Tyronn Lue.
And-Ones: Team USA Assistants, NBPA, Expansion, More
Mark Daigneault of the Thunder, J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons, and Gonzaga’s Mark Few are expected to be named Team USA men’s basketball assistants under head coach Erik Spoelstra, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
USA Basketball announced last October that Spoelstra was taking over for Steve Kerr as the head coach of the men’s basketball team in advance of the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. However, there was no information at the time about what his staff might look like.
Daigneault, the head coach in Oklahoma City since 2020, has an NBA Coach of the Year award and a championship under his belt, while Bickerstaff is coming off a 60-win season and currently serves as the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association. Few, meanwhile, has led the Zags to a pair of NCAA championship games and is a carryover from the 2024 Olympics — he was an assistant under Kerr in Paris alongside Spoelstra and Tyronn Lue.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- David Kelly, the new executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, hasn’t made much noise since taking over the role from Andre Iguodala in February, but he spoke out on Friday against the second tax apron rules in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, arguing that the second-apron restrictions should be removed or at least “softened,” per Ben Golliver of ESPN. “We are not fans of the second apron,” Kelly said. “We did not propose the second apron. We should have done a better job of fighting back against the second apron. In the future, we will have a much more unified union, and we will do a better job of fighting back. … We’re seeing (the apron system) decimate teams and force decisions to be made that are not basketball decisions.”
- Kelly also spoke about the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers‘ and Kawhi Leonard‘s agreements with the now-bankrupt green banking company Aspiration, opining that the process shouldn’t have taken this long and suggesting that the players’ union doesn’t think “there’s a ‘there’ there” (Twitter links via Jake Fischer of The Stein Line).
- While Seattle has remained a “one-bid city” for NBA expansion, in the words of Tim Booth of The Seattle Times, it looks like there are four different groups vying to bring a team to Las Vegas, prompting Booth to wonder whether or not the league will be comfortable moving forward with both cities on the same timeline. One of the prospective owners hoping to land an expansion team in Las Vegas, Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, explained to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic that he believes his experience bringing the NHL to the city gives him a leg up on the competition. “We did a couple things really well. We’re going to do it on steroids with an NBA team,” Foley said. “… We’ve already brought a major-league franchise to Las Vegas. We’ve jumped through all the hoops. … I believe we’re in a really good spot to compete.”
- Appearing on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast (YouTube link), new Sixers wing Jaylen Brown spoke about why he believes the NBA’s agency model is “broken” and explained why he found it useful to work with the players’ union instead of an agent when he first entered the league (Twitter video links).
Thunder Notes: Holmgren, Giannis, J-Dub, Wiggins, Joe, More
The Thunder aren’t going to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they aren’t going to trade away Chet Holmgren, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
As Mussatto explains, while head of basketball operations Sam Presti isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on major trades, he doesn’t act impulsively. The Spurs deserved to beat the Thunder in the Western Conference finals, Mussatto writes, but Oklahoma City came very close to winning despite missing Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell for most of the series and Holmgren playing some of his worst basketball.
Pursuing Antetokounmpo would be a major risk, according to Mussatto, as he hasn’t been able to stay healthy in the playoffs, is multiple years older than Oklahoma City’s top players, and would make the roster more expensive than it already projects to be both next season and going forward.
Including Jalen Williams in a deal for Antetokounmpo would be a “non-starter” for the Thunder, Mussatto states, and trading Holmgren would disrupt the team’s “chemistry, competitive timeline and financial flexibility.” Mussatto expects Oklahoma City to make moves this offseason, but nothing on that magnitude after nearly making a second straight trip to the NBA Finals despite the untimely injuries.
Here’s more from Oklahoma City:
- Head coach Mark Daigneault and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were among the key members of the Thunder who publicly backed both Williams and particularly Holmgren during exit interviews on Sunday, according to Rylan Stiles of SI.com, who says the team should retain both players with their maximum-salary rookie scale extensions set to kick in next season. Like Mussatto, Stiles acknowledges Holmgren’s performance vs. San Antonio was “dreadful,” but says he’s the “hardest worker” on the team and will use the series as motivation going forward. “Before Chet was here, we weren’t who we are today. We couldn’t have the success we have today. When he’s the best version of himself, we’re the best version of ourself, and it’s no secret,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “… Both those guys (Williams and Holmgren) are the same caliber. We need them to be the best version of themselves for us to be the best version of ourselves. And I have confidence that they will be that. Those guys work way too hard for them and love the game way too much for that not to be the case. I don’t think for a second they won’t be that. Those guys, they’re a big part of the success we’ve built.”
- Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe have been cited as potential trade candidates due to the Thunder’s financial and roster crunch. Wiggins talked about his reduced postseason role on Sunday, tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. “Nothing is permanent,” Wiggins said. “A lot of things change from day to day, and obviously year to year. At the end of the season and that last stretch, I wasn’t my best self, and I obviously wasn’t seeing the minutes that I might be capable of seeing. But from a team perspective, it’s still being a professional, buying into the team and being around guys who I love supporting and being with. It makes it easy to come in and embrace the togetherness of the team first. I wouldn’t say it was overly difficult to look past whatever my individual circumstance looked like, especially when you’re competing for something big.”
- Joe also saw his minutes cut back significantly in the playoffs and discussed it on Sunday, according to Martinez (Twitter link). “As a player or competitor, it’s frustrating. But in the moment, it’s more of what I can do to help the team win. … You’re just trying to bring energy to the guys,” Joe said. “Obviously with this organization, sometimes you play when you think you’re not going to play. And then you don’t play when you think you’re going to play. You just never know. That’s just one thing that we’ve been really good at, just the ability to stay ready. Those are moments where you don’t know if your number is going to get called, but you’ve still got to find ways to bring energy or bring life to the team and help them win.”
- Martinez, Mussatto and Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman (subscriber link) pass along several more noteworthy quotes from Oklahoma City’s end-of-season exit interviews. “I learned a lot about myself,” said Nikola Topic said, who overcame testicular cancer in 2025/26. “I didn’t know how tough I was, honestly. It wasn’t the best, but I’m grateful that I went through those experiences. I grew from those experiences as well and it made me a better person today, and I wouldn’t be here if those things didn’t happen. I’m looking forward to getting ready to play.”
Thunder Notes: SGA, J-Dub, Mitchell, Wallace, More
After largely struggling in the first six games of the Western Conference finals, back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was excellent for the Thunder in Saturday’s Game 7 loss to San Antonio, finishing with 35 points (on 12-of-21 shooting), nine assists, four rebounds, three steals and one block in a game-high 43 minutes.
“He was brilliant,” head coach Mark Daigneault said, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscriber link). “… Obviously that would’ve been one of the stories of the game had we been able to figure out a way to win it.”
The 27-year-old guard credited the Spurs after the game, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press relays.
“Yeah, they’re young, they’re talented, well-coached,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Play the right way, play together, seems like they like each other. They have the makeup, for sure. You don’t beat us without the makeup and they beat us. They have the makeup to go get one.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, who acknowledged the roster might look different next season due to the ever-changing nature of the NBA, said he won’t be involved in any personnel moves.
“I will give zero input. I will let Sam Presti, the greatest GM ever, do his job,” he said (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- As Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes, the Thunder refused to use injuries an excuse after the loss even though they weren’t at full strength; Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf strain) were both sidelined for most of the series. Alex Caruso noted that injuries are part of any playoff run and Oklahoma City was fortunate last year but “unlucky” in 2025/26 in that regard. Still, several members of the Thunder felt as though they still could’ve come out on top. “To be a 64-win team, have the net rating we did, overcome some of the adversities we did in the season, is something we’re incredibly proud of,” Daigneault said. “It’s something we can build on. When you have a team that’s together for a long time, you have to grow from every experience, including the tough ones. And it’s the NBA — there are tough ones. And we can also be really disappointed. We felt like we could have won the series, obviously, right there in the game and in the series. There’s nobody that we don’t think we can beat, respectfully.”
- Daigneault admitted on Sunday that the absences of Williams and Mitchell lowered the Thunder’s ceiling but said he’s looking forward to a having Williams healthy again in 2026/27 after he was plagued by various injuries over the past year-plus, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter video link). “Missing (Williams) impacts your ceiling. Missing Ajay Mitchell impacts your ceiling. But we’ve been able to maintain a really high floor. I’m proud of that,” Daigneault said. “That’s a huge accomplishment for the season, and it will pay dividends moving forward and will pay dividends for us this year. … I’m excited about a healthy Jalen Williams. I’m excited about a healthy team and what that can look like moving forward. So that becomes the priority especially with him. It was a tough year for him, and we need to do everything we can to get him in full form, and he does too.”
- Williams believes he would’ve made a difference in the series had he been healthy, tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. “I don’t do the hypothetical thing too much because it does not solve anything that’s going on right now,” Williams said. “But to humor your question, obviously I think I could have made an impact. I think we could have won if I played. We went to seven with them without me playing. I don’t think I make us worse. That’s really my answer to that. It’s also hats off to (San Antonio). What do you want them to do about me being hurt? … We’ll just have to wait until we meet again at some point.”
- Gilgeous-Alexander referred to ’25/26 as a failure on Sunday since he and the team were unable to win their second straight championship, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. “I failed at my goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. But I learn the most about myself and make the greatest amount of increases in my career when I fail and don’t get what I want. I look at this no different. I didn’t get where I wanted to go this season. There’s a reason for that. Now I have to look at that reason and try to make sure it never happens again.”
- Cason Wallace, who made a number of huge plays in the fourth quarter to keep the Thunder in Game 7, is extension-eligible beginning this offseason and said he loves being part of the team, but it sounds like he’ll leave any contract negotiations to his agent, according to Rylan Stiles of SI.com (Twitter link). “Love the Thunder. But you know I’m more focused on getting better this summer and being able to go out there and compete next season,” said the former lottery pick, who was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in ’25/26.
Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Named 2025/26 Coach Of Year
Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics has been named Coach of the Year, the NBA announced on Tuesday (Twitter link). He earned the Red Auerbach Trophy, named after the Celtics’ coaching legend.
Mazzulla is the first Celtics head coach to win the award since Bill Fitch in 1979/80 and the fourth in franchise history. That group also includes Auerbach (1964/65) and Tom Heinsohn (1972/73). At 37, Mazzulla is the youngest Coach of the Year since Phil Johnson in 1974/75.
Boston was missing star forward Jayson Tatum for most of the season and parted with key contributors like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet last summer due to a cap crunch. However, Mazzulla led the Celtics to a 56-26 record and the No. 2 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, including a 51-19 mark after a 5-7 start.
Mazzulla received 62 first-place votes, 24 second-place votes and 10 third-place votes, totaling 392 points. Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff finished second in the voting with 312 points (29 first-place votes, 51 second and 14 third). Spurs coach Mitch Johnson finished a distant third with 133 points (9 first, 17 second, 37 third).
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the Coach of the Year. In addition to the three finalists, nine other coaches showed up on at least one ballot, led by Charles Lee of the Hornets (31 points), Jordan Ott of the Suns (11), and Mark Daigneault of the Thunder (10), each of whom received at least one second-place vote.
The full voting results can be found here (Twitter link).
The Celtics issued a statement in which Mazzulla expressed his thanks but indicated he feels it should be a shared award, echoing comments he made earlier in the year.
“Thank you to the Lord for the platform he has given me, and to my wife and family who support me on this journey,” he said. “Thank you to our players who compete and give it everything they have each night. I am grateful for every member of the Celtics organization whose dedication impacts winning every day. This award belongs to our staff, who are there for the guys every day. Their relentless work ethic improves our team daily. This award should be named Staff of the Year.”
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens praised his head coach and staff.
“This is well deserved recognition and a testament to both Joe and his staff,” he said. “With all of our unknowns entering the season, Joe did a fantastic job building and growing a team. He pours everything he has into competing at a high level, while helping players find the best versions of themselves within the framework of a team. On top of all of that, Joe leads with an authentic care for the Celtics and everyone he works with – players, coaches, and staff.”
Northwest Notes: Splitter, Nuggets, Daigneault, Hardy
Tiago Splitter has emulated Gregg Popovich as interim head coach of the Trail Blazers, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Splitter, 41, spent five of his seven NBA seasons playing in San Antonio under Popovich, including winning a title in 2014.
“The way he treats people makes you feel like you are part of a family,” Splitter said of Popovich, who retired from coaching last May as the NBA’s all-time winningest coach after leading the Spurs to five NBA titles and six trips to the Finals in 29 seasons.
“That’s really what I am trying to do here,” Splitter continued. “I have everybody involved. From one to 18 on the roster, everybody has to be part of this. I think that is what I learned most from him, the off-the-court stuff. The Xs and Os, yeah, they are important. I think everybody does that in the league. But the relationship part with the players is what really, really separates Pop from all the coaches.”
As Orsborn points out, multiple reports have suggested Splitter isn’t a lock to be promoted to Portland’s full-time head coach despite taking over under difficult — and extraordinary — circumstances and helping the team exceed expectations in 2025/26.
Here’s more from the Northwest:
- After expressing optimism earlier this week that Nuggets forwards Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones could both be available for Saturday’s Game 1 matchup vs. Minnesota, head coach David Adelman said on Friday that Jones has a better chances of suiting up than Watson, tweets Brendan Vogt of DNVR Sports. Both players are recovering from right hamstring strains — Watson has been out since April 1, while Jones suffered his injury on March 29.
- Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault continued to improve in 2025/26 after leading the team to the championship last season, according to star swingman Jalen Williams (subscriber-only story via Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman). While Daigneault may not be a finalist for Coach of the Year after leading Oklahoma City to the best record in the league for the second straight season, his players continue to sing his praises, Carlson writes. “And I think especially for us this season, it’s been big because coming off winning a championship, winning however many games, the margins are small for where you can find improvement,” veteran Alex Caruso said. “But I think he’s done a great job of searching for it and pushing us to try and find some ways to get better as well.”
- Will Jazz head coach Will Hardy show a different side of himself next season after guiding a tanking team over the past four years? Sarah Todd of The Deseret News explores that subject, writing that third-year guard Keyonte George expects Hardy to be a little more intense in 2026/27. “Oh, absolutely,” George said with a knowing laugh and shake of his head. “Will is already a maniac and he’s gonna have his moments. But I know Will, and I know he wants the best for us, so whatever that looks like from Will — I know there’ll be a lot of screaming and yelling — it’s gonna make us great.”
J.B. Bickerstaff Wins Coaches Association Award
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has won the Michael H. Goldberg award for the 2025/26 season, earning Coach of the Year honors from the National Basketball Coaches Association, according to a press release.
This award, introduced in 2017 and named after longtime NBCA executive director Michael H. Goldberg, is voted on by the NBA’s 30 head coaches, none of whom can vote for himself.
It isn’t the NBA’s official Coach of the Year award, which is voted on by media members and is represented by the Red Auerbach Trophy. The winner of that award will be announced later this spring.
Bickerstaff has guided the Pistons to a remarkable turnaround since taking over as their head coach during the 2024 offseason. Coming off the worst season in franchise history, Detroit improved from 14-68 to 44-38 in Bickerstaff’s first year at the helm, then took another huge step forward in 2025/26, finishing the season with a 60-22 record. It was just the third 60-win season in team history and the first in two decades.
The Pistons had the NBA’s second-best defensive rating (108.9) and tied with the Spurs for the league’s No. 2 overall net rating (+8.4) in 2025/26, despite missing leading scorer Cade Cunningham for 18 games.
The NBCA Coach of the Year award has frequently been a bellwether for the NBA’s Coach of the Year honor, which bodes well for Bickerstaff. In seven of the nine years since the award’s inception, the winner has gone on to be named the NBA’s Coach of the Year, including in 2025 when Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers won both awards.
Still, there’s a crowded field of candidates for Coach of the Year. The NBCA noted within its release that seven different coaches earned votes for its award, “reflecting the depth of coaching excellence in the NBA this season.”
Besides Bickerstaff, Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Mitch Johnson (Spurs), Charles Lee (Hornets), Joe Mazzulla (Celtics), Quin Snyder (Hawks), and Tiago Splitter (Trail Blazers) each received at least one vote from their fellow coaches for this year’s NBCA award.
Thunder’s Daigneault, Hawks’ Snyder Named Coaches Of The Month
Mark Daigneault of the Thunder has been named March’s Coach of the Month for the Western Conference, while Quin Snyder of the Hawks has earned the honor in the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
There were no shortage of strong candidates for Coach of the Month recognition in the Western Conference. Daigneault’s OKC squad maintained its spot atop the NBA’s standings by posting a 14-1 record in March, but JJ Redick of the Lakers (15-2) and Mitch Johnson of the Spurs (14-2) also had excellent months. They were nominated for the award too, along with Tyronn Lue of the Clippers (12-6), according to the league (Twitter link).
Snyder, meanwhile, guided the Hawks to a 13-2 record in March, which moved them from play-in territory into the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. That made him the top choice among a group of nominees that also included Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers, J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons, Mike Brown of the Knicks, Charles Lee of the Hornets, and Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics.
Daigneault and Johnson are the only coaches to win multiple Coach of the Month awards this season, claiming two apiece, while Suns coach Jordan Ott also earned the Western Conference honor in January. In the East, five separate coaches were named Coach of the Month, with Snyder joining Bickerstaff (October/November), Mazzulla (December), Lee (January), and Atkinson (February).
Four Players Ejected In Thunder-Wizards Scuffle
An altercation late in the first half of Saturday’s game between the Thunder and Wizards resulted in four ejections (Twitter video link from Bleacher Report).
According to Joel Lorenzi and Josh Robbins of The Athletic, it started as a dispute between Washington’s Justin Champagnie and Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams that quickly involved several other players. Ajay Mitchell began exchanging words and shoves with Champagnie along the baseline, and the battle spilled into the courtside seats under the basket.
“I’ve never seen him like that,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of Mitchell. “But at the same time, I’m not really surprised by his reaction. He’s a tough kid, tough as nails. Not only on the court, but off the court as well. He’s as tough as they come, so I knew there’d be no back down when he’s involved in anything.”
After a long review by the officials, Champagnie and Williams were each given two technical fouls, which is an automatic ejection. Mitchell and the Thunder’s Cason Wallace were assessed one technical apiece and were also thrown out of the game.
In a pool report, crew chief John Goble explained that Champagnie and Williams each received one technical foul for pushing each other during a dead ball. Champagnie’s second technical was for making contact with Mitchell’s face, while Williams was T’d up for his actions during the fight.
Goble added that Mitchell and Wallace were tossed because they were not “acting as peacemakers” and were “escalating the altercation.”
The Wizards’ Anthony Gill appeared to shove Mitchell from behind, but Goble stated that no action was taken against him because Wallace pushed Gill into the scrum and it was “not observed that Gill did anything in an unsportsmanlike manner to assess a penalty.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he’s “worked with John Goble a long time,” and they discussed the ejections before “agreeing to disagree.”
Wizards coach Brian Keefe was on the opposite side of the court and couldn’t see much of the scuffle, but he told reporters, “I just know that our guys stuck up for each other, which I always love.”
The authors note that Saturday’s incident was the third one involving the Thunder in the past few weeks. Luguentz Dort and Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears had a post-game altercation on January 27 that resulted in $25K fines for each of them, and Dort was ejected for tripping Denver center Nikola Jokic in late February, which prompted a face-to-face confrontation between Jokic and Williams.
“It’s a combination of things,” Isaiah Hartenstein replied when asked about the skirmishes. “We’re a physical team. Every time we play, I think there’s always a chip on the other team’s shoulder. We’re also not gonna back down against anything. I don’t really put anyone at fault for that — it just happens. We have a passionate group of guys, and every time we play, teams are coming with their best shot, and sometimes, it just gets physical.”
Saturday’s exchange is expected to result at least in fines and possibly suspensions. They’ll likely be announced before the Wizards play Sunday night in New York. Oklahoma City’s next game is Monday at Philadelphia.
Spurs’ Johnson, Cavs’ Atkinson Recognized As Coaches Of The Month
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson was named the Coach of the Month for the Western Conference after leading his team to an 11-0 record in February, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
It’s the second Coach of the Month honor this season for Johnson, who also won it after guiding San Antonio to an 8-3 mark in December. He’s the first NBA head coach to claim the award twice in 2025/26.
It also represents a clean sweep of the NBA’s monthly awards for the Spurs — in addition to Johnson’s Coach of the Month award, Victor Wembanyama was recognized as the West’s Player of the Month and Defensive Player of the Month for February, while Dylan Harper was named Rookie of the Month.
Mark Daigneault of the Thunder, Chris Finch of the Timberwolves, and Ime Udoka of the Rockets were also nominated for Coach of the Month in the West, per the league (Twitter link)
In the Eastern Conference, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was named Coach of the Month for February, beating out fellow nominees J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons), Mike Brown (Knicks), Charles Lee (Hornets), and Joe Mazzulla (Celtics).
After a shaky first half of the season, Cleveland has righted the ship in recent weeks and reclaimed a top-four spot in the Eastern standings. Atkinson’s team had an 8-3 record in February despite only playing three of those 11 games at home.
The East has yet to have a repeat Coach of the Month winner this season, with Bickerstaff (October/November), Mazzulla (December), and Lee (January) having previously been honored.