Image: Wiki Commons by Bradjward
About This Quiz
NBA teams are built around superstars, but even with all the star power in the world, it takes great coaching to ensure the entire roster is on the same page, from top to bottom, as each player tries to find their role to help a team win. Without this structure, locker rooms can get chaotic and a championship season can easily go down the drain. After all, there's so much talent around the entire league that even small cracks will shine through when the best teams play one another. That's why a coach's job isn't just to draw up schemes and call timeouts. Instead, they have to be able to manage personalities and make sure the entire roster is working toward a common goal.
How familiar are you with the coaches around the NBA who are trying to pull together rosters to get wins? Some of these coaches are leading teams through a rebuilding period, where the priority is player development. Others have the responsibility of guiding a team that fully expects not only to reach the playoffs but win it all. Are you going to be able to match the coach to whatever kind of team they are coaching? If you think so, jump into this quiz and find out if you can lead your way to a victory.
Timberwolves
Jazz
Trail Blazers
Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers got a new breath of life in the 2019 offseason when they signed Kawhi Leonard and traded for Paul George, two superstars in the league. With Doc Rivers, a championship-caliber coach, leading the way, there's plenty of buzz surrounding the Clippers in the 2019-20 season.
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Wizards
Knicks
Suns
Warriors
Steve Kerr inherited a playoff team when he took over the Golden State Warriors in 2014, but he immediately turned them into a championship contender, even winning a title during his first season in Golden State. He went on to advance to four more Finals, winning two of them.
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Heat
Erik Spoelstra has been the head coach of the Miami Heat since legendary coach Pat Riley retired in 2008. Whether he's had all-world talent or a mixture of role players, Spoelstra has been successful with the Heat, implementing a coaching style that emphasizes hustle play on the court.
Wizards
Kings
Suns
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Grizzlies
Pistons
Rockets
With his fast-paced offensive style, Mike D'Antoni knows how to get his team to put points on the board. However, he's often been criticized for his team's defenses, which is a major reason he hasn't reached the NBA Finals as a head coach yet.
Lakers
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Pelicans
Magic
Knicks
Pacers
Even though the Indiana Pacers haven't made it out of the first round under his tutelage, Nate McMillan has the team playing inspired basketball. He has yet to have a losing season with the Pacers and even reached the fifth seed going into the 2019 NBA Playoffs.
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Spurs
Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies gave Taylor Jenkins his first head coaching job in the NBA when they hired him prior to the 2019-20 season. Jenkins had previously served as an assistant with both the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.
Jazz
Raptors
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Spurs
Jazz
Raptors
Nick Nurse took over a talented Toronto Raptors team in 2018 that had been to the playoffs for five straight seasons. After adding Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors immediately became a championship contender, and Nurse was able to capitalize on the talent by winning the 2019 NBA Finals.
Trail Blazers
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Kings
Wizards
Pistons
Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have completely fallen apart with the departure of LeBron James following the 2018 NBA Finals. Hoping a modern offensive system would build success, the team hired John Beilein before the 2019-20 season started, as he is known for his offensive schemes.
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Pistons
Despite reaching the Conference Semifinals twice and the Conference Finals once, Dwane Casey couldn't overcome LeBron James in the Eastern Conference. This led to his firing from the Toronto Raptors in 2018, but he was quickly picked up by the Detroit Pistons, who needed new life in their own franchise.
Heat
76ers
Grizzlies
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Raptors
Spurs
Trail Blazers
Bucks
Mike Budenholzer was twice named NBA Coach of the Year, first with the Atlanta Hawks in 2015 and again with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019. Both seasons, he was also selected as an NBA All-Star Game head coach.
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Pelicans
After Anthony Davis requested a trade out of New Orleans, the Pelicans could've gone in a different direction at head coach. Instead, the team stuck with Alvin Gentry and decided to change out their general manager.
Suns
Bucks
76ers
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Cavaliers
Bucks
76ers
Celtics
After reaching game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018, Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics took a step back in the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Their setbacks were largely related to personality issues on the team that Stevens had a hard time dealing with.
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Heat
Celtics
Nets
Before joining the Brooklyn Nets, Jacque Vaughn had his chance as a head coach with the Orlando Magic from 2012 through 2015 but wasn't able to coach the team to a winning record. He finished his head coaching career with a 58-158 record.
Warriors
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Trail Blazers
Terry Stotts has been to the playoffs with the Portland Trail Blazers every season he has been with the team except his first. However, if he can't get the Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals, his time with the team might be coming to a close.
Jazz
Spurs
Wizards
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Clippers
Mavericks
Starting his career with the Dallas Mavericks in 2008, Rick Carlisle is one of the longest-tenured head coaches currently in the NBA. His long tenure resulted in a championship in 2011, the only title in Mavericks history.
Timberwolves
Thunder
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Raptors
Wizards
Knicks
The New York Knicks missed out big in the 2019 offseason, failing to attract any of the major stars in free agency. That left David Fizdale in a tough position, coaching a lackluster roster, which is why he was eventually replaced by Mike Miller.
Suns
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Spurs
Timberwolves
Ryan Saunders started his coaching career right out of college, getting a job with the Washington Wizards after completing his graduate degree. When he was hired by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2019, he became the youngest head coach in the NBA at the age of 33.
Kings
Magic
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Jazz
Kings
76ers
Thunder
Billy Donovan has coached several superstars during his stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder, including Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. The furthest he was able to go with this talent was the Western Conference Finals in 2016.
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Pelicans
Thunder
Clippers
Tyronn Lue was interviewed for a head coaching job with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the team refused to commit to him longterm. Instead of accepting a shortened deal, Lue decided to go with the crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Wizards
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Nets
Kenny Atkinson took over the Brooklyn Nets in 2016 after leaving the Atlanta Hawks as an assistant. The Nets struggled his first two seasons in Brooklyn, but they finally reached the playoffs in the 2018-19 season, which was a big reason Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving decided to sign there.
Pacers
Clippers
Spurs
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Hornets
In 2018, the Charlotte Hornets brought in a lot of brainpower to help push their team to the next level, which is why Jay Triano was added to the staff. Triano is a former head coach himself, who also has experience as an Olympics coach with the Canadian national team.
Raptors
Magic
Pistons
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Raptors
Hornets
Though James Borrego previously served as the interim head coach of the Orlando Magic, the Charlotte Hornets were the first team to actually commit to him longterm in 2018. Borrego barely missed the playoffs in his first season with the Hornets, coaching the team to a 39-43 record.
Warriors
Pelicans
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Spurs
Magic
Steve Clifford is known for instilling a defensive prowess into the teams he coaches, which was evident when he took over the Charlotte Hornets in 2013. His tenure there ended in 2018, but he brought that same mentality with him to Orlando when the Magic hired him the same year he was fired.
Wizards
Raptors
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Suns
Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers had to make some tough decisions after missing the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Knowing changes needed to be made, they fired head coach Luke Walton and brought in Frank Vogel, who wasn't a popular choice at the time of his hire.
Pelicans
Raptors
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Hornets
Bulls
Hawks
Melvin Hunt started his NBA coaching career as a scout for the Houston Rockets in 1999. He received his first assistant coaching job with the Rockets in 2002 before moving about the league, where he's coached for several teams from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Atlanta Hawks.
Pistons
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Trail Blazers
Jazz
76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers tanked for years to get high draft picks as they aimed to put themselves back into championship contention. When this stage, known as "The Process," was complete, the team stuck with Brett Brown to realize the fruits of their labor.
Kings
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Kings
Suns
The Phoenix Suns have not reached the NBA Playoffs since 2010, when they lost in the Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers. Since then, the team has had one winning season, which they hope improves under Monty Williams.
Jazz
Magic
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Bulls
Magic
Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks have several NBA players with star potential for Lloyd Pierce to coach, but much of that revolves around the continued success of Trae Young. After all, Young is on pace to make his first All-Star Game in only his second NBA season, but his individual success hasn't quite translated into wins.
Heat
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Nuggets
76ers
Spurs
Rockets
John Lucas played in the NBA from 1976 through 1990, which included three stints with the Houston Rockets. With plenty of knowledge of how to play the game, Lucas was brought in by the Rockets as a developmental coach in 2016.
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Nuggets
Under head coach Michael Malone, the Denver Nuggets finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference in the 2018-19 season. The team pushed through the first round to advance to the Conference Semifinals but lost in game seven to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Rockets
Trail Blazers
Jazz
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Clippers
Lakers
Jason Kidd was a Hall of Fame player at the point guard position, so he knows a thing or two about basketball. He actually received a head coaching job the same year he retired with the Brooklyn Nets, though it didn't quite work out in his first tenure as a head coach.
Thunder
Magic
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Warriors
Mike Brown had the privilege of coaching LeBron James during the early part of "The King's" career, helping instill a defensive toughness into James. However, when James decided to move on from Cleveland, the Cavaliers decided to move on from Brown.
Cavaliers
Knicks
Pelicans
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Rockets
Cavaliers
Wizards
Pistons
The Detroit Pistons struggle to attract top talent in free agency, so they have to build through trades and the draft. However, to keep this talent, the team has to put coaches in place like Sidney Lowe to instill a winning culture.
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Magic
Heat
Bulls
Leading an up-and-coming Chicago Bulls team, Jim Boylen decided to implement a time clock for players to punch in and out of work at the start of the 2019 season. His objective is to show the players just how much time they're actually investing in getting better.
Bucks
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Thunder
Maurice Cheeks has had three opportunities as an NBA head coach with the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons. The Pistons fired him after coaching only 50 games, at which point he joined the Oklahoma City Thunder as an assistant.
76ers
Trail Blazers
Pistons
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Spurs
Starting with the San Antonio Spurs in 1996, Gregg Popovich is the longest-tenured head coach in the NBA, having spent his entire NBA head coaching career with the team. The Spurs have kept Popovich on for good reason too, as he currently has five NBA titles.
Jazz
Celtics
Wizards
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Jazz
Kings
Luke Walton gained recognition as a coach when he took over for Steve Kerr on the Golden State Warriors while Kerr was out with back issues. Showing that he had the potential to lead a team, Walton eventually was given the head coaching job for the Los Angeles Lakers before moving on to the Sacramento Kings.
Wizards
Spurs
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Jazz
Pacers
Bulls
Wizards
In three full seasons with the Washington Wizards, Scott Brooks has only missed the playoffs once and made it to the Conference Semifinals in 2017. However, the Wizards aren't headed in the right direction, so Brooks will be looked upon to turn things around quickly.
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Suns
Jazz
Quin Snyder started his NBA head coaching career with the Utah Jazz in 2014. He came into the 2019-20 season with a 227-183 regular-season record, and with a roster stacked with talent, he'll try to improve upon his first-round loss with the Jazz in 2019.
Bucks
Heat
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Clippers
Cavaliers
Lakers
With coaches like Lionel Hollins on the staff, the Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of coaching talent to shape their roster. Considering they're looking for a title this year, they'll need all the help they can get to surpass some of the other teams in the league.
Nets
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