The 2020-21 NBA ‘Season Just Started’ Awards

TNSJS Coach of the Year: Monty Williams, Phoenix Suns

Also receiving votes: Steve Clifford, Tom Thibodeau, Ty Lue, Nate Bjorken

By far the most split vote from our panel, and for good reason. Much like Sixth Man of the Year, the sample size is too small for an award that’s already hard to decipher, as we the viewers do not have access inside the locker rooms and game preparations that make each coach so valuable (or detrimental, in some cases).

With Williams, Clifford and Thibodeau all receiving an equal number of votes, I stepped up in as TNSJS Grand Emperor Supreme to dub Monty Williams as the winner. The Magic are overperforming their perceived talent level, a staple of Steve Clifford teams. However, a lot of that has rested on the previously stated Ross and Nikola Vucevic making contested jumpers at unsustainably high clips. Thibs’ redemption story as head man of the Knicks might be the best story, but they too have benefited from small sample size shooting luck, as their opponents have bricked 3s at a league-worst 30.3 percent. Another way to look at it — the teams the Knicks have faced thus far are all shooting like Russell Westbrook from deep. Yikes.

The Suns however have not benefitted from such unsustainable shooting percentages on either end. Heck, their starting lineup hasn’t even fully gelled yet, posting a -5.4 net rating in 334 non-garbage time possessions, and yet the Suns sit atop the West at 7-3 and second in the entire league in overall net rating per CTG. Monty has things rolling down in the Valley.

Previous years TNSJS winners (2016-2019): N/A (forgot bc I’m stupid), David Fizdale, Mike Budenholzer, Ryan Saunders (somehow even further outside on that one then I was on the Kendrick Nunn selection)