Billy Donovan: Oklahoma City Thunder
Former winner of back-to-back National Championships with the Florida Gators, Donovan is destined for success in the NBA. After the firing of Scott Brooks, the Thunder continued the recent trend of recruiting a successful college coach to take the reins. Donovan, who has no NBA coaching experience, boasted a 502-206 record in 21 seasons as a head coach for Marshall and Florida. He was quickly hired by Sam Presti and immediately began formulating his path to success for the 2015-2016 NBA season.
After signing a five-year contract with the Thunder, Donovan set his sights on surrounding himself with a quality coaching staff. Monty Williams, who coached the New Orleans Pelicans to the playoffs last season, headlines a group that primarily includes coaches who have prior experience with the Thunder or Donovan. Williams, in particular, has a history with Kevin Durant, dating back to last summer when the two (both products of the same county outside Washington D.C.) were on Team USA.
The NBA, being a players league, will be a fairly easy transition for Donovan, who coached the likes of Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer to back-to-back national championships at Florida. Steve Kerr and David Blatt both inherited deep rosters surrounding MVPs last season and were able to make it to the NBA Finals as rookie head coaches. Donovan now inherits a similar roster-one which was hampered by injuries last season-and will try to replicate that success in his first season as an NBA Head Coach.
Fred Hoiberg: Chicago Bulls
The second new head coach in our rankings also hails from the NCAA and will have an excellent roster to ease his transition into the NBA. Hoiberg, a former head coach at Iowa State University, replaces the defensive-minded Tom Thibodeau, who guided the Bulls to the playoffs in each of his five seasons with the team. While Hoiberg does not have experience as an NBA coach, he does have nearly 15 years of NBA experience on his résumé. He played in the league for 10 seasons before joining the front office for the Minnesota Timberwolves for four years.
In his five seasons with Iowa State, Hoiberg posted a 115-56 record while guiding the Cyclones to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. He ran a quick-paced offense that was effective at putting up shots early in the shot clock. While Jimmy Butler-retained with a max-contract extension this offseason-will facilitate that transition, the focus will, again, be on the health of Derrick Rose. How Hoiberg elects to manage Rose's minutes is largely uncertain at this point and Rose could potentially hold Hoiberg back from implementing his offensive strategy. Nevertheless, a change at head coach could be all the Bulls need to make a deep run in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Alvin Gentry: New Orleans Pelicans
Assistant coach under Steve Kerr for the 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, Gentry comes into New Orleans as the replacement for the aforementioned Monty Williams, who was ousted by the Warriors in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs last season. In his 12 seasons as a coach in the NBA, Gentry holds an overall record of 335-370. Primarily an Assistant Head Coach, Gentry's last stint at the helm came in 2012 with the Phoenix Suns, a team with which he had his most successful season, boasting a 54-28 record in 2008-2009.
The Pelicans' youth-filled roster which includes the league's best big man in Anthony Davis will continue to develop under Gentry. Only one player on the current roster, Kendrick Perkins, is in his thirties, but Perkins has three NBA Finals appearances on his résumé which will aid the Pelicans' youth in the post. Similar to the previous two coaches in these rankings, Gentry inherits a 2014-2015 playoff team, which he will bring his recent NBA Championship experience to the table to progress the organization.
Michael Malone: Denver Nuggets
Fired by the Sacramento Kings last season after 24 games, Malone moved just west as he was hired by the Nuggets this offseason. In his two seasons as a head coach for the Kings, Malone held a 39-67 record with DeMarcus Cousins as his star player. The 2015-2016 Nuggets share similarities with last year's Kings, the primary being young talents. Fortunately for Malone, one similarity the teams do not share is an unhealthy locker-room presence. After a trade with the Houston Rockets, the Nuggets prepare for life without Ty Lawson, who did not see eye-to-eye with former head coach Brian Shaw.
Highly-coveted prospect, Emmanuel Mudiay, will likely be the point guard of the future. Fortunately for the Nuggets, the 6'5" 19 year-old has a veteran starter ahead of him on the depth chart in Jameer Nelson. Nelson, 33, will provide beneficial leadership for Mudiay that will ease the load for Malone. Other young players such as Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler will lead the way on the court as Malone attempts to mature and develop the team.
Scott Skiles: Orlando Magic
The fifth and final head coach who will undertake a new team in the 2015-2016 season is Scott Skiles. A 13-year head coach in the NBA, Skiles is not unfamiliar with the position. His most recent job came in 2013 with the Milwaukee Bucks, a team which he coached for five seasons. In his 13 seasons as an NBA Head Coach, Skiles held an overall record of 443-433 and now returns to the position with an emerging Magic organization littered with young talents.
The Magic hardly have any notable veterans, but have benefited from high draft picks over the past several seasons. Their most recent was 2015 fifth overall draft pick Mario Hezonja, a 20 year-old Croatian forward. Other youngsters that Skiles will work to mold include Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, and Aaron Gordon, all of whom were top-ten draft picks. All three players began to emerge last season and, if Gordon returns healthy from a broken leg, all three could continue to play well under Skiles. Unfortunately, the Magic are several years removed from making it out of a tough Southwest Division, but have no place to go but up. A lot lies on Skiles to move the team out of last place in the division.