Honorable Mentions
James Borrego
- At 40 years of age, James Borrego already has eight years of NBA experience as a coach. He’s been an assistant under Gregg Popovich and Monty Williams, as well as Jacque Vaughn. Borrego is a raw candidate, but he has significant two-way potential.
Juwan Howard
- A 19-year veteran as a player and a five-year assistant coach with the Miami Heat, Juwan Howard has been building towards this opportunity. He’s 45 years of age and has long been regarded as a student of the game. Howard’s primary strength: Connecting with players.
Jay Larrañaga
- Jay Larrañaga is the son of successful collegiate head coach Jim Larrañaga. More importantly, he’s an experienced coach who has held positions in both Europe and the NBA. He’s spent the past six seasons with the Boston Celtics as a creative offensive mind and a tough competitor on defense.
Kenny Smith
- Kenny Smith has no previous coaching experience, but he’s a two-time NBA champion who played for respected coaches and with superstar players. He also has nearly two decades in the Inside the NBA booth, which he believes can help him transition to the Association.
Mike Woodson
- If anyone can return the New York Knicks to relevance, it might be the coach who last had them in said position. Mike Woodson took the Mike D’Antoni Knicks that lacked an identity and helped them achieve resurgent success. Could he do it again?