12. Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks
Jason Kidd's head-coaching career got off to a shaky start with the Brooklyn Nets and then with the Milwaukee Bucks. Through his first five years in the league as a coach, Kidd would leave his teams to a combined 183-190 record in the regular season. He did make the postseason three times but only made it out of the first round once. It naturally led to a confusing start to his career. But after taking one year off after being fired by the Bucks, Kidd decided to work his way back up to a marquee job.
Before the 2021-22 season, Kidd was hired by the Dallas Mavericks in what was characterized as a surprising move. In three years with the Mavs, Kidd has begun to show some position signs once again. He's won at least 50 games twice in three years and has led the Mavs to a Western Conference appearance and an NBA Finals berth.
To say that Kidd has been successful with the Mavs would be an understatement. The big question is whether Kidd can sustain this level of success. That will be the ultimate test for him moving forward. But over the past three years, Kidd has become one of the better coaches in the league.