May 1, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder new head coach Billy Donovan speaks to the media at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
21. Billy Donovan, Oklahoma City Thunder
I’m probably going to get a lot of hate for putting a rookie coach at No. 21, but could Billy Donovan have walked into a better situation? Donovan already has one of the best point guards in the league, the golden boy of the NBA and Steve Novak, who is the best shooting benchwarmer since Matt Bonner actually started playing in games.
Donovan was a champion with Florida, and has a history of developing centers into outstanding NBA players. Both Al Horford and Joakim Noah were Donovan products, and both are top-15 centers in the NBA. The biggest weakness of the Thunder has always been their frontcourt, and if Donovan can develop either Steven Adams or Enes Kanter the same way he developed Noah and Horford, then there’s no reason why the Thunder won’t be in the NBA Western Conference Finals.
Next: Quin Snyder