With only 30 jobs around the league, competition for an NBA head coaching position is fierce. There are a lot of top candidates, some of whom you may never have heard of, who have been training for the job for decades.
The good news for those coaches is that openings occur all of the time. The Pistons and Cavaliers still have to fill their positions. But the bad news is that they probably will find themselves on the other end of that coaching carousel in a couple of years.
Once in a while, a Joe Mazzulla or Mark Daigneault comes out of the ranks, looking like they will hold the position down for a long time.
Here are the top nine names that might make that same type of impact.
MORE: Complete list of winners for NBA's end-of-season awards
Ranking available NBA head coaches
1. Chris Quinn
Regular season record: n/a
Playoff record: n/a
Quinn is the hottest name that you've never heard of. The six-year NBA veteran had an unremarkable playing career for four teams before joining the Heat coaching staff. He's been there for 10 years, starting as a player development coach and working his way up to Spoelstra's right-hand man.
There's a good reason why Quinn has lasted so long next to Spoelstra. He has a reputation as a great player development coach and he's taken over in games where Spoelstra has not been available. He helped guide the Heat to a 144-115 victory over the Hornets in April.
Quinn received consideration for the Nets' coaching job until they ultimately went with Jordi Fernandez, per The Athletic's Shams Charania. Quinn has also interviewed for Hornets openings twice, making "a great impression" on them, per Yahoo's Jake Fischer. He will continue to generate interest and eventually land a head coaching job somewhere.
2. Becky Hammon
Regular season record: n/a
Playoff record: n/a
Hammon has cemented herself as one of the best coaches in the world after winning back-to-back championships for the Las Vegas Aces. She has a wealth of coaching experience in the NBA, working under Popovich in San Antonio for eight seasons. She had an illustrious Hall-of-Fame playing career as well.
Hammon has been close to landing NBA jobs. She had the backing of Damian Lillard in Portland and was a finalist for the opening back in 2021 before the Blazers ultimately went with Chauncey Billups.
Hammon seems very happy coaching in the WNBA. If she were looking to actively move, she'd be no. 1 on this list. But WNBA coaching salaries pale in comparison to their NBA counterparts. If the price was right, maybe she could be enticed into leaving.
3. Kenny Atkinson
Regular season record: 118-190 (.383)
Playoff record: 1-4 (.200)
Atkinson reshaped the Nets, taking them from the wilderness to a playoff team. He's known for great player development skills and an analytics-friendly approach to the game. He had the Hornets job in the bag in 2023 before having a last-minute change of heart, opting to stay with Steve Kerr as an assistant for another year.
4. Terry Stotts
Regular season record: 517-486 (.515)
Playoff record: 23-44 (.343)
Stotts abruptly resigned from an assistant coach position with the Bucks. They surely could have used him this year — he built terrific offenses with the Trail Blazers before leaving in 2021.
Stotts has had a ton of playoff success, making the postseason eight consecutive times and getting to the Conference Finals once. He's a known quantity.
5. Sam Cassell
Regular season record: n/a
Playoff record: n/a
Cassell lasted 15 years in the league as an undersized point guard due to his toughness and smarts. The basketball lifer parlayed that into an assistant coaching career that has spanned 15 years with the Wizards, Clippers, Sixers and Celtics.
In 2023, Cassell was named one of the best assistant coaches in the league in John Schuhmann's annual GM survey, receiving seven percent of the vote. He's already gained some traction for head coaching positions — he was interviewed for the Rockets' opening in 2023.
6. Dave Joerger
Regular season record: 245-247 (.498)
Playoff record: 9-13 (.409)
The biggest bullet on Joerger's resume comes from his time with the Grizzlies. He led them to the playoffs in all three of his years there, although they never advanced past the second round.
Joerger wasn't quite as successful in his second head coaching stint in Sacramento. The Kings failed to make the playoffs and finished below .500 for three straight years before he was fired. He went on to join Doc Rivers both in Philadelphia and Milwaukee as an assistant.
Joerger is known as a good coach who has had issues getting along with management in his previous stops.
7. James Borrego
Regular season record: 148-183 (.447)
Playoff record: 0-0
Borrego is known as a great tactician and had his Hornets team overachieving to 43 wins in his last season. They immediately tanked the next season, dropping to 27 wins under Steve Clifford.
Borrego ultimately lost that Charlotte job because the team could never clear that last hurdle to get into the playoffs. They were blown out of games in the Play-In Tournament twice. He deserves a second chance, though, particularly given how that franchise has collapsed after his departure.
Borrego does have championship experience — he won two rings as part of the Spurs staff with Popovich. He's also helped the Pelicans overachieve as their associate head coach this season.
8. Mike D'Antoni
Regular season record: 672-527 (.560)
Playoff record: 54-56 (.491)
D'Antoni's offensive principles have been widely adapted around the league. He was a brilliant innovator who has won a ton of games with different teams.
He's taken a step back since 2021 when he resigned from an assistant position with the dysfunctional Nets. He's currently a coaching advisor for the Pelicans.
9. Mark Jackson
Regular season record: 121-109 (.526)
Playoff record: 9-10 (.474)
Jackson is still a prominent figure in the industry despite not coaching since 2014. The 17-year NBA veteran was one of the headiest point guards in the league during his playing days and helped build the foundation of the Warriors before being replaced by Steve Kerr.
MORE: Why is Mark Jackson no longer calling games for ESPN?
Jackson does have his fair share of critics, though. His tenure with the Warriors was marred by numerous controversies, including turning the team against Festus Ezeli, having difficulty getting along with people in the organization and sparring with his assistants.
Jackson does have the backing of some of his former players, including Stephen Curry. Maybe some team would give him a second chance.
