Other coaches can't compare to Mitch Johnson's indisputable COY case

Mitch Johnson spent the entire season making the most compelling case for the Coach of the Year Award. He led the Spurs to levels of success that very few envisioned heading into the 2025-26 campaign, getting them to 62 wins (their most since 2014) and elite production on both sides of the floor.

Now, the rest of the field is tough. Joe Mazzulla has been amazing for the Celtics, a group that was in a similar predicament, receiving modest preseason expectations from critics. JB Bickerstaff for the Pistons also deserves some shine, leading the Pistons to the East's top seed and their first 60-win season since 2006.

But their body of work this season still doesn't top what Johnson has been able to do. His impact goes beyond what the records and standings show. He's been able to navigate several tough situations to get this team to where they are.

Mitch Johnson had to navigate a strange situation

Let's be very clear, Johnson wasn't expected to be thrust into his role quite like this. Obviously, Greg Popovich suffered a stroke in November 2024, taking him away for a while as the Spurs' head coach. Ultimately, he stepped into a front office position as the team's President of Basketball Operations.

This forced Mitch Johnson to take on the biggest assignment of his basketball career. He was tasked with establishing the culture and system necessary to move the Spurs out of a rebuild into becoming the NBA's next dynasty. And so far, he's done an amazing job.

While San Antonio missed the playoffs last year, they were somewhat decent before Wemby's season-ending blood clot scare, posting a 21-25 record. They've expanded on that this time around, climbing from the 13th spot at the end of the 2025-25 campaign to the second seed out West in 2026.

Johnson navigated these massive developments within the Spurs franchise flawlessly. He led this group to astronomical levels of success this season, making him one of the best new faces in the head coaching ranks and the strongest COY candidate.

Mitch Johnson turned a daunting challenge into an elite offense

The Spurs had a challenge in the offseason. In the 2025 NBA Draft, they went for talent over fit, selecting Dylan Harper with the second overall pick. This created a complex, guard-heavy roster with Harper paired alongside De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle.

But somehow, Johnson's made this work. He experimented with a multitude of lineups, with each guard finding time on the court together, and the offense thrived. Additionally, he's found the perfect balance: trying to make the fit make sense while also allowing each of these players to grow.

We've seen Castle become one of the league's most improved playmakers with a growing scoring arsenal. Harper spent his rookie season as one of the best paint finishers in the NBA while growing as a three-point shooter through the post-All-Star stretch.

Perhaps that's the most impressive thing about Mitch Johnson's coaching. He's pushed so many of his players to grow their individual games while still getting them to operate as a winning team. Their development did not come at the expense of regular-season dominance like other rebuilding groups.

Few coaches have been able to find this much success with such a young core over the years, like Johnson. The Coach Of The Year Award should be his for the taking, giving him the first crown since Coach Popovich in 2014. Ironically, this was the last time the Spurs notched 62 wins.

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