Ranking the best available NBA head coaching candidates

1. Jay Wright

Making the transition for college to the pros is a very difficult proposition. However, Brad Stevens’ move from Butler to Boston has gone pretty well. That will give plenty of teams the belief that Jay Wright could move from Villanova to the next level.

Whether or not you think Wright is willing to make the jump is irrelevant. He’s a hot candidate in NBA circles. Wright isn’t going to jump to just any job, but teams that believe they have the ability to win now will certainly consider phoning his agent.

It’s not just the success Wright has enjoyed at Villanova that has NBA executives intrigued. It’s the way he’s pushed the Wildcats to play. Wright has taken the idea of small ball to an entirely different level at times during his tenure at Villanova. In the process, he’s repeatedly churned out solid NBA prospects.

If Wright decides he wants to jump to the NBA this summer he will certainly have an opportunity. Several of the teams with openings would love to hire a coach with his star power. In the end, it’s still a long shot to think he’ll leave college this offseason.

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That doesn’t change the fact that he’s the coach with the most upside on this list. Some NBA teams are certainly asking themselves whether or not Wright can replicate what Stevens did before him.