Bill Simmons’ pick for NBA Coach of the Year is no surprise

It was reported earlier this month that the voting schedule for this season’s individual awards would be delayed to resolve grievances over the NBA’s controversial 65-game rule.

This should give voters more time to ponder their choices for the coveted accolades, including Coach of the Year.

The frontrunners for the honor are Oklahoma City Thunder’s Mark Daigneault, San Antonio Spurs’ Mitch Johnson, Boston Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla, Detroit Pistons’ JB Bickerstaff, and Atlanta Hawks’ Quin Snyder.

All of them have a strong case for the award, but for The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, the winner is clear.

“The Mazzulla thing is nuts. Their over-under was 42 (wins), and they went 56 and 26. The team played hard. I think they took maybe three games off out of the 82,” said Simmons on his podcast.

“The thing that impressed me the most was how they brought (Jayson) Tatum back into it, and I think that’s what pushed it for me—(not) the fact that they won 56 games, but the fact that they brought this star back without upsetting anything that they just built over the last four months.”

Many thought that it would be a gap year for the Celtics due to the Achilles injury of Tatum and the departures of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford in the offseason.

But Mazzulla, who made an eye-opening revelation about himself, scoffed at the notion and led Boston to the second seed in the Eastern Conference. He transformed Jaylen Brown into a legitimate MVP contender and seamlessly reincorporated Tatum once he returned earlier than expected.

Mazzulla, however, might simply dismiss Simmons’ remarks, no matter how complimentary they were, as he has already stressed that he doesn’t care for the Coach of the Year trophy.

He has yet to win the award.

The post Bill Simmons’ pick for NBA Coach of the Year is no surprise appeared first on ClutchPoints.