Mike Brown, Mark Daigneault, Joe Mazzulla are Coach of the Year finalists for 2022-23 NBA season

Ahead of the final slate of NBA play-in games, the crew on NBA on TNT unveiled the list of finalists for the league’s 2022-23 Coach of the Year Award.

NBA Coach of the Year finalists: Mike Brown, Mark Daigneault, Joe Mazzulla

Brown finally led the Sacramento Kings to the promised land of the postseason as the franchise ended their playoff drought with a 48-34 overall record that was good for the third seed in the Western Conference. Daigneault’s 2022-23 campaign was equally impressive as he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a play-in berth despite the franchise sitting right in the middle of a rebuild. And in light of Mazzulla taking over the Boston Celtics in the aftermath of Ime Udoka’s departure, the Celtics didn’t miss a beat en route to a second-place finish in the East with a 57-25 record.

Similar to the battle for the Most Valuable Player, the narrative could play a role in deciding who wins this race and if that proves to be the case then Brown has to be considered the favorite. While Daigneault and Mazzulla’s achievements are admirable, Brown’s success in snapping the longest postseason drought in American sports is notable in its own right and should lead him to win the hardware. Additionally, he was recently named the NBA Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year.