Sometimes, success in the NBA is all about timing. A coach walks into a locker room full of All-Stars, rides the wave, and walks out with a shiny record and maybe even a ring—or at least the credit for building a “culture.”
But not every coach is a mastermind. Plenty have benefited from stacked rosters, generational talent, and front offices that knew how to build a contender long before the clipboard even hit their hands.
15. Mike Brown
Mike Brown won a lot of games with LeBron James carrying the load and making everything look easy. He’s had success since, but that Cavs era made him look like more of a genius than he probably was.
14. Scott Brooks
Coaching a young core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden sounds like a dream, but Brooks often looked over his head. That team succeeded in spite of coaching, not because of it.
13. Paul Westhead
Westhead rode the wave of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar early in his Lakers tenure. But once the novelty wore off, so did his success.
12. Tyronn Lue
Yes, Ty Lue held things together during Cleveland’s 2016 title run, but let’s not pretend like that wasn’t LeBron’s team from top to bottom. Lue gets credit for managing egos more than actual schematics.
11. Del Harris
Del Harris got to coach a prime Shaq and young Kobe, but his teams often underachieved when it mattered most. He was more babysitter than tactician on those Lakers squads.
10. Erik Spoelstra (Early Years)
Before Spoelstra became a respected mastermind, he was just the guy lucky enough to coach the Heatles. LeBron, Wade, and Bosh did a lot of the heavy lifting before Spo really came into his own.
9. Steve Kerr
Kerr deserves praise for managing personalities, but that Warriors dynasty was built on a foundation that Mark Jackson helped lay. A roster featuring Steph, Klay, Draymond, and eventually KD kind of coached itself.
8. Doc Rivers
Doc gets praised for being a championship coach, but let’s be real—he had the original Big Three in Boston and still only won one title. Great motivator? Sure. X’s and O’s wizard? Not exactly.
7. Billy Donovan
In OKC, Donovan inherited a loaded team and just kind of rolled the ball out. He never quite figured out how to elevate elite talent into ultimate success.
6. Frank Vogel
Vogel coached the Lakers to a title in the bubble, but that was LeBron and AD steamrolling through tired legs. He was more of a passenger than the pilot on that ride.
5. Rick Carlisle (With 2011 Mavs)
Yes, he has a title, but that Mavericks team had Dirk going nuclear and a roster that just clicked perfectly. Carlisle benefited from timing and a Hall of Famer getting white-hot.
4. Mike D’Antoni
D’Antoni had some all-time great rosters but could never get over the hump. His system looked genius when stars were running it, but it often lacked the flexibility needed to win when it counted.
3. Jason Kidd
Kidd’s early coaching success had a lot more to do with the talent on the floor than anything he was drawing up. When things didn’t click, it usually showed fast.
2. Phil Jackson
Phil won a ton, no doubt, but he always had the best toys—Jordan and Pippen in Chicago, Kobe and Shaq in LA. Triangle or not, those rosters were loaded before he showed up.
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1. David Blatt
Blatt barely had time to unpack his suitcase in Cleveland before LeBron turned him into a sideline prop. He was technically the head coach, but everyone knew who was really running the show.
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