6:05pm: Williams has officially been named Coach of the Year, according to a league press release. Williams received 458 points (81 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Jenkins finished in second place with 270 points (17 first-place votes), while Spoelstra finished in third place with 72 points (one first-place vote).
3:03pm: Suns coach Monty Williams is expected to be named Coach of the Year later today, per star Devin Booker (via Twitter), who amusingly says “book tells sources.”
Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) confirmed the news a few minutes later, noting that Williams led the Suns to an NBA- and franchise-best 64-18 record in 2021/22. Phoenix led the NBA in net rating at +7.5 and held the No. 5 offense and No. 3 defense during the regular season.
Williams, 50, was runner-up for Coach of the Year last season after he guided Phoenix to a 51-21 record and a berth in the NBA Finals. The Suns ultimately fell to the Bucks in six games.
Phoenix’s turnaround has been one of the most surprising stories in the league over the past couple seasons. The Suns hadn’t made the playoffs since 2009/10 prior to their run to the Finals last season, going a combined 272-450 (.377) from 2010-2019.
The team was particularly bad in the years directly preceding Williams’ tenure, going 87-241 (.265) and winning no more than 24 games in any season from 2015-2019. In 2019/20, his first year at the helm, Phoenix went 34-39.
In three seasons as Phoenix’s head coach, Williams sports an overall record of 149-79 (.656), including 20-12 in the postseason (.625). The Suns are currently tied with the Mavericks at two games apiece in their second-round matchup, with Game 5 set for Tuesday in Phoenix.
The other finalists for Coach of the Year were Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.