With 10 games left in the NBA regular season, many teams are already thinking about the off-season. Following the conclusion of the regular season several coaches will be fired or let go. This will start with rebuilding teams making a coaching change after that disappointing playoff teams will make the same change. Let’s dive into the five coaches most likely to be fired after this season.
5 NBA Coaches Likely To Be Fired After This Season
1. Steve Clifford
The Hornets bringing back Steve Clifford in 2022 was seen as a somewhat curious decision. Clifford is a fine coach but his style doesn’t fit with this young Hornets squad. Clifford is a defensive-minded coach best suited for a win-now team similar to Frank Vogel. The Hornets are a young team who struggles defensively which has led to much frustration for Clifford. Furthermore, the Hornets new front office and ownership are doubling down on a full rebuild. Given the Hornets direction, it’s likely they make a coaching switch after the season.
2. Darvin Ham
Darvin Ham has been on the hot seat all year. With the Lakers having a disappointing year many people expected Ham to be fired during the season. Questionable rotations and timeout management have led to Ham being widely criticized. LeBron James holds his coaches to an incredibly high standard and LeBron-led teams frequently make coaching changes. Ham does have certain strengths as a coach, most notably his high-level defensive system. However, the Lakers failure to live up to preseason expectations and Ham’s downsides as a coach will likely be enough to seal his fate. Unless the Lakers can go on a surprise run during the playoffs like last year Ham will be out as coach.
3. Monty Williams
Monty Williams received a record contract this off-season with the Pistons making it harder for Detroit to move off of him. However, this season couldn’t have gone worse for Williams and the Pistons highlighted by an NBA record 28-game losing streak. There has been a noticeable lack of progress for the Pistons young core and Monty is partly responsible for this lack of development. Monty’s rotations and lineup decisions have been rightfully scrutinized all year.
He has consistently played lineups with negative spacing and hasn’t prioritized Jaden Ivey in the offense or rotation enough. In year four of a rebuild this lack of progress is unacceptable and could cause the Pistons to make a massive change. While his lengthy contract makes it challenging for the Pistons to let him go given the circumstances, the Pistons could clean house this off-season. Furthermore considering Monty had to be convinced to take the Pistons job it’s possible he will want an out after this year and they will mutually part ways.
4. Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Billups’ third season with the Blazers has been marked by the team’s total commitment to a rebuild. In full rebuilds like this, a new coach is often brought in to match the franchise’s direction. Additionally, many of the young Blazers players haven’t shown a ton of development or promise. Whether this is Billups’ fault or not, look for the Blazers to land a development-oriented coach to better align with their rebuild.
5. Jason Kidd
The Mavericks have real pressure and urgency headed into the playoffs. The front office has gutted their future assets to accelerate the timeline around Luka Doncic. Currently, the Mavs are the sixth seed and fighting for a playoff spot as they are just one game ahead of the eight-seed Kings. Despite their clear talent and star power, a first-round exit is very possible for Dallas. This paired with coaching issues including poor rotations and a lackluster defensive scheme. If the Mavs lose early in the playoffs Kidd will certainly be gone.
