All 30 NBA Coaches, Ranked
Gregg Popovich has won 50 or more games in 19 of his 23 seasons as the San Antonio Spurs’ head coach. Eric Gay / AP Photo
They all have the same goal — win an NBA championship. But the road to a Larry O’Brien Trophy is different for NBA head coaches. And some never get there.
Coaching basketball in the NBA today involves a lot more than just X’s and O’s. In addition to developing game plans and instructing players, coaches have to manage big egos, millionaire personalities, health concerns and off-court distractions.
It’s not an easy job to keep a team functioning at the highest level over an entire season. Here’s how all 30 NBA coaches are doing.
30. Ryan Saunders, Minnesota Timberwolves
Age: 33 (born April 28, 1986)
NBA head coaching experience: 1 season (2019-present)
Coaching career: Washington Wizards (assistant, 2009-14), Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant, 2014-19; head coach, 2019-present)
Regular-season record: 17-25 (.402)
Postseason record: 0-0 (.000)
NBA titles: 0
30. Ryan Saunders, Minnesota Timberwolves
Bottom line: Ryan Saunders is the youngest coach in the NBA. The son of the late Flip Saunders, who coached the Minnesota Timberwolves for over 10 seasons, Ryan worked as a player development coach for the Washington Wizards before joining his father’s staff in Minnesota as an assistant in 2014.
After Tom Thibodeau was fired as T-Wolves head coach midseason in 2019, Ryan Saunders took over, and the team played well at times under their young head coach, producing a high level of offense. Time will tell how the Timberwolves perform for Saunders over a full season.
29. Jim Boylen, Chicago Bulls
Age: 54 (April 18, 1965)
NBA head coaching experience: 1 season (2018-present)
Coaching career: Michigan State (assistant, 1987-92, 2005–07), Houston Rockets (assistant, 1992-2003), Golden State Warriors (assistant, 2003–04), Milwaukee Bucks (assistant, 2004–05), Utah (head coach, 2007–11), Indiana Pacers (assistant, 2011–13), San Antonio Spurs (assistant, 2013–15), Chicago Bulls (associate head coach, 2015–18; head coach, 2018-present)
Regular-season record: 17-41 (.293)
Postseason record: 0-0 (.000)
NBA titles: 0
29. Jim Boylen, Chicago Bulls
Bottom line: Jim Boylen is a basketball lifer who paid his dues. An assistant for the Warriors, Rockets, Bucks, Pacers and a championship Spurs team (2013-14), Boylen got his first NBA shot at head coaching when the Bulls fired Fred Hoiberg in December 2018 after a 5-19 start to the season.
Boylen didn’t have much success in the win-loss columns and had the Bulls doing extra suicides and other drills NBA players aren’t used to seeing. The fiery old-school coach earned the player’s respect by the end of the season, but whether that translates into wins in Chicago remains to be seen.