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Power ranking NBA head coaches: 2015-16 season

By John Buhler

Oct 23, 2015; Manchester, NH, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures from the sidelines during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Verizon Wireless Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2015; Manchester, NH, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures from the sidelines during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Verizon Wireless Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 15, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Toronto Raptors 107-101. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Toronto Raptors 107-101. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

19. Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors

In his second stint as an NBA head coach, Dwane Casey has done a marvelous job making the Toronto Raptors a contending team out of the Atlantic Division. The Raptors have won the division each of the last two years under Casey’s direction.

Their 2013-14 Division Championship came as a surprise to many, as the Raptors hadn’t been any bit relevant since Sam Mitchell was their coach a decade ago. Though Casey benefits from a pair of back court All-Stars in point guard Kyle Lowry and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, his Raptors teams seem to consistently play well on the offensive side of the basketball.

The Raptors have been a top ten offensive team since their current run of Atlantic Division titles (10th, 4th, and 6th in the last two plus years). While Toronto was a top ten defensive team in 2013-14 (105.3), the club struggled on that end of the floor last year (107.7) and are middle of the pack this season (102.8).

Casey is nearly a .500 coach since taking over the Raptors in 2011-12 (162-164). Though he’s not an ideal head coach for a contending team, he does seem to improve over time and has the Toronto Raptors playing their most consistent brand of basketball since inception. Dwane Casey has the roster and the offensive strategy to get the Raptors to an Eastern Conference Finals should the cards fall in Toronto’s direction.

Next: 18. Billy Donovan

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