this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2023
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Ranking NBA head coaches based on how good they were as players. (alien.top)
submitted 11 months ago by RecordReviewer@alien.top to c/nba@nba.space
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Here is my attempt at ranking every current head coach by how good they were as players:

Rank Head Coach Team
1 Jason Kidd Dallas Mavericks
2 Chauncey Billups Portland Trail Blazers
3 Steve Kerr Golden State Warriors
4 Tyronn Lue Los Angeles Clippers
5 Adrian Griffin Milwaukee Bucks
6 Jacque Vaughn Brooklyn Nets
7 Willie Green New Orleans Pelicans
8 Monty Williams Detroit Pistons
9 Ime Udoka Houston Rockets
10 Darvin Ham Los Angeles Lakers
11 Rick Carlisle Indiana Pacers
12 Billy Donovan Chicago Bulls
13 Jamahl Mosley Orlando Magic
14 Chris Finch Minnesota Timberwolves
15 Nick Nurse Philadelphia 76ers
16 J. B. Bickerstaff Cleveland Cavaliers
17 Quin Snyder Atlanta Hawks
18 Joe Mazzulla Boston Celtics
19 Erik Spoelstra Miami Heat
20 Mike Brown Sacramento Kings
21 Michael Malone Denver Nuggets
22 Tom Thibodeau New York Knicks
23 Steve Clifford Charlotte Hornets
24 Wes Unseld Jr. Washington Wizards
25 Gregg Popovich San Antonio Spurs
26 Mark Daigneault Oklahoma City Thunder
27 Frank Vogel Phoenix Suns
28 Will Hardy Utah Jazz
29 Taylor Jenkins Memphis Grizzlies
30 Darko Rajaković Toronto Raptors

The top 12 all played in the NBA, and so it was easier to compare their careers as players.

Everyone else but Taylor Jenkins and Darko Rajaković played some college ball, so this was a bit tougher to rank. For the most part I ranked them according to their college production, or if they played at a high D1 school, although there are some exceptions.

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[–] Snoo-1474@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Damn can’t imagine Tom thibodeau playing ball

[–] PRsAndDR@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

He had knee problems and would always yell “ICE! ICE!” to the trainers after practices and games to get those bad boys cooled off.

[–] JesseJamesGames449@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

You make him play 45 minutes 1 time and he never making his players do that again.. :P

[–] defiantcross@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

hey man, vogel can spin a basketball on a toothbrush while brushing his teeth.

[–] aredditusernametaken@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I've never seen anybody do anything close to that.

[–] Scrypto@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Would be cool to add what their highest level of play was (D2 college/NBA benchwarmer/Hall of famer) to the chart to give some context

[–] RVAIsTheGreatest@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Awesome idea of a thread and great list! I think it's solid but I would agree with u/CaptainBananafishJr....I'm putting Willie like 4th. His peak was clearly better than Griffin or Vaughn. Probably above Lue too.

[–] ExuberantBias@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Daigneault didn’t even play college ball, why is he 26th? Lol