The 2018-19 Coach of the Year award race has shaped up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.

A number of different coaches, in both the Eastern and Western Conferences, have done a fantastic job as they have deftly navigated hardships or brought their respective squads to a new level from a season ago. the Milwaukee Bucks’ Mike Budenholzer, the Denver Nuggets’ Mike Malone, the Toronto Raptors’ Nick Nurse and the Indiana Pacers’ Nate McMillan are but a few names that deserve some recognition.

The Los Angeles Clippers’ Doc Rivers may lead the pack, however. He, at the very least, has earned the right to be mentioned alongside those and the many other coaches in the running.

There weren’t many who believed the Clippers would do much this season; ESPN pegged them for just 37 wins and a lowly 11th in the Western Conference before the season, other outlets projected similar numbers. But, with five games left in the regular season, the Clippers have soared past those projections en route to their first postseason berth sans Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

At 46-31, the Clippers sit at sixth in the Western Conference, just three back of the Houston Rockets for the fourth seed and one behind the Utah Jazz for the fifth (two teams that the Clippers play in these last few days of the regular season). Much of that can and should be credited to the players and their efforts, but Rivers has played his part perfectly and should be recognized for it.

Unlike his many Western Conference contemporaries, there is no one “star” on the Clippers’ roster. Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari have been impressive in their own right, but there is no LeBron James-Kevin Durant-Stephen Curry type game breaker with them. That lack of a star is the reason why the team, behind their 15-6 start, was such a surprise in the early going.

The Clippers inevitably cooled after their ferocious start. But, in perhaps his greatest coaching performance to date, Rivers managed to get them back into contention for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs while his group has played as the ultimate collective. Throughout the season, everyone has bought into their individual roles with the team and, with Rivers at the helm, they have come together to form the star that has put them in the position to succeed.

As the season has gotten on, Rivers has had to navigate increasingly difficult waters as well. The Clippers roster is a quirky group of multi-year veterans and fresh NBA faces, all talented and versatile in their own ways. Rookie point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has started most of the season — the Clippers are the only team, in either conference, currently in the playoff picture with a rookie running the point — while fellow rookie Landry Shamet has shared the backcourt with him since he joined the team via the Harris trade. 11th-year forward Danilo Gallinari has shared the starting frontcourt with 4th-year big man Ivica Zubac, while 13th-year guard Lou Williams has anchored the bench alongside 4th-year Montrezl Harrell.

Managing that, and putting those players in a position to succeed, can, for the most part, be attributed to Rivers.

Aside from that hodge-podge, the Clippers chose to trade, arguably, Rivers’ best player, forward Tobias Harris, prior to the February 7 Trade Deadline. At the time, Harris had averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists and was one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA (43.4 percent). The Clippers were, meanwhile, in a deadlock with the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers for the last spot in the Western Conference postseason picture.

Many figured the trade was management waiving the metaphorical white flag. Rivers apparently didn’t get the memo.

Since the trade, Rivers has pushed the team to a 16-6 record, the fifth-best record in the NBA in that span. He has managed his rotations impeccably, enabling players like Gilgeous-Alexander and Harrell to succeed while allowing established talents like Williams and Gallinari to get their fair share of the offense; Gallinari is in the midst of a career resurgence after years spent dealing with injury; Williams has continued his dominance over the Sixth Man of the Year race; Harrell has had a breakout year as a high-energy big with a never-ending motor off the bench; and Gilgeous-Alexander, more recently, has hit his stride and posted the best stretch so far of his young career with Rivers’ encouragement.

It’s hard to capture everything that Rivers does well. Like many, he is a savvy, battle-tested coach who has managed to surprise the NBA this season. But what has set Rivers apart has been his ability to manage the constantly evolving situation that has been the Clippers this season. With players come and gone from the lineup and multiple rookies playing vital roles, Rivers has taken it all in stride and brought his team back to the postseason.

In the end, Rivers may get passed up for Coach of the Year. But he has done more than enough this season to show that he is deserving of the honor.

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