On Monday evening, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was named the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year. The committee made the wrong choice. Who deserved it? The man Atkinson replaced, Detroit Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff.

Last year, JB Bickerstaff led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 48-34 record before falling short in the semifinals against the eventual champion Boston Celtics in 5 games. With a team of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and company, the front office believed the Cavaliers needed to replace their head coach to make that next leap. After losing in the playoffs, the Cavaliers chose to fire Bickerstaff and hire Kenny Atkinson.

Atkinson was an assistant coach on the Golden State Warriors from 2021-2024 but he had a crack at being a head coach for the Brooklyn Nets back in 2016-2020. Atkinson underperformed after the team acquired Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the 2019-2020 season, and Atkinson stepped down that year after making the playoffs just once in a little over three years.

Bringing Atkinson in to coach the Cavaliers was a headscratcher, but it has worked out so far. Atkinson improved the Cleveland Cavaliers by sixteen games to a 64-18 record, best in the Eastern Conference, and aims to have his team make a deep playoff run.

However, Kenny Atkinson wasn’t the best candidate for Coach of the Year.

Many could argue that the team was already assembled and the culture was already established. The Cavaliers were a playoff team last year. It was expected of the Cavaliers to be back in the playoffs again this year.

People need to respect JB Bickerstaff.

After Bickerstaff was fired from the Cavaliers after a second-round playoff exit, he was hired by the Detroit Pistons to turn around a 14-68 team. The Pistons were the worst team in the NBA. This year? Bickerstaff elevated them to 44-38, a 6th-seed in the Eastern Conference, and fought valiantly in a 6-game series against the New York Knicks. That’s a difference of thirty games!

A coach not only makes their team better, but also makes their players better.

For the Cavaliers, we saw statistics stagnate or drop for Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley.

Donovan Mitchell:

• With Bickerstaff (23-24): 26.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 6.1 APG, 46.2% FG
• With Atkinson (24-25): 24 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5 APG, 44.3% FG

Jarrett Allen:

• With Bickerstaff (23-24): 16.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.1 BPG
• With Atkinson (24-25): 13.5 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 BPG

Evan Mobley:

• With Bickerstaff (23-24): 15.7 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 57.9% FG
• With Atkinson (24-25): 18.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 55.7% FG

Keep in mind, Atkinson coached Jarrett Allen when both were in Brooklyn. These stats with Cleveland’s superstars are alarming, with dips in most categories across the board. If anything, Atkinson didn’t elevate his superstars.

For the Pistons, we saw JB Bickerstaff elevate young core pieces like Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.

Cade Cunningham:

• Before Bickerstaff (23-24): 22.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.5 APG, 44.9% FG
• With Bickerstaff (24-25): 26.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 9.1 APG, 46.9% FG

Jaden Ivey:

• Before Bickerstaff (23-24): 15.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 42.9% FG
• With Bickerstaff (24-25; 30 games): 17.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4 APG, 46% FG

JB Bickerstaff only had 30 games with Jaden Ivey before breaking his fibula on New Year’s Day, but you saw the progression from the young man right before he turned 23 in February. Cade Cunningham has untapped potential from Dwayne Casey and Monty Williams, but Bickerstaff has instilled confidence in Cunningham to be that dude for Detroit.

To me, a Coach of the Year needs to come in and drastically change the direction of an organization. They need to improve the record substantially and put their players and the team on the right track.

Kenny Atkinson got a polished product that JB Bickerstaff left, and Atkinson used the pre-existing chemistry and star power to elevate the Cavaliers to a 1-seed in the Eastern Conference.

JB Bickerstaff took the worst team in basketball and made them a playoff contender. Bickerstaff gave Pistons fans hope that Cunningham will live up to his hype from being the #1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

The answer was simple. JB Bickerstaff was the rightful choice for Coach of the Year, but again, Kenny Atkinson steals from Bickerstaff’s table.