19. Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets
There may be some pushback with the idea that Ime Udoka is the 19th-best head coach in the league. However, even though he's been "successful" through two seasons as a coach, one with the Boston Celtics and then with the Houston Rockets, I'm not entirely sold. With the Celtics, Udoka had an incredible talented roster. He led them to 51 wins. With the Rockets, he had an "OK" roster and helped them win 41 games. I think we should learn a lot about how "good" of a coach Udoka is based on how the Rockets look this year.
Even though the Rockets' young players should take another step forward in their development this year, there's no guarantee the team will be better overall considering how deep and top-heavy the Western Conference currently is. But that's where a good head coach could change the math a bit.
If Udoka is as good of a coach as many were quick to anoint him after one season in Boston, we're going to see a Rockets team outpace expectations this season.