NEWSLETTER
The moment Billy Donovan hit the free agent market in 2020, the Chicago Bulls’ coaching search immediately changed. The former leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder automatically became the organization’s priority. Before we knew it, Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley convinced Donovan to take the job. Not only did the signing come as a surprise, but it felt like the front office’s first real victory.
Indeed, Donovan held a 243-157 record with the Oklahoma City Thunder – aka a 60.8 winning percentage. He had made five straight playoff appearances, which included a Western Conference Finals appearance. Sure, Donovan had the benefit of rostering Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but he consistently got the most out of his supporting cast and helped put those two stars in a position to succeed.
The Chicago Bulls needed somebody with a proven resume, especially after Jim Boylen provided one of the ugliest coaching experiments in franchise history. Donovan looked like the coach who could help infuse professionalism and results into a franchise that desperately needed it. Unfortunately, while a case could be made he did the former, the latter just never followed suit.
After never recording a single losing season during his time in OKC, Donovan has finished below .500 in three of his four campaigns with Chicago. The first is an excusable offense, as he was dealing with a hand-me-down roster full of underdeveloped young talent. The next two are certainly stains on his record. While the front office deserves a bulk of the blame for the Bulls’ recent struggles, Donovan isn’t void of criticism after losing seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Indeed, the Bulls offense never clicked despite having three All-Star-level scorers. The moment Lonzo Ball went down, Donovan struggled to create any semblance of a new offensive identity. The team repeatedly shot the fewest 3-pointers in the league and played at an inconsistent pace. Time and again we’d hear word about a more modern offensive game plan only for nothing to come to fruition.
Am I saying the entirety of the Bulls’ woes are on Donovan? Of course not. However, there is little denying this has impacted how he is currently viewed around the league. And we need to look no further than CBS Sports’ latest head coach rankings to see just that.
Where Does Billy Donovan Rank Among NBA Coaches?
Sam Quinn of CBS Sports attempted to rank all 30 coaches heading into this season, and Donovan doesn’t find himself in good company. Locked into the “I wouldn’t be enthused” tier, the Bulls’ head coach is ranked 24th overall on Quinn’s list. He is right behind Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and only one spot ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers’ Chauncey Billups.
For what it’s worth, here is the bottom 10:
20. Willie Green, Pelicans
21. Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers
22. Doc Rivers, Bucks
23. J.B. Bickerstaff, Pistons
24. Billy Donovan, Bulls
25. Chauncey Billups, Trail Blazers
26. Darko Rajakovic, Raptors
27. Jordi Fernandez, Nets
28. Charles Lee, Hornets
29. Brian Keefe, Wizards
30. JJ Redick, Lakers
I encourage you to check out CBS Sports’ complete rankings here.
So … do you agree with Donovan’s placement?
I’m having a hard time. On the one hand, as stated above, you have to factor in the two previous seasons of lackluster play. Even if we’re holding this front office the most responsible, Donovan has to find a way to exceed expectations. This was a staple of his coaching with OKC, especially after Durant’s departure. Also, the extreme lack of any creativity on the offensive remains a red flag. How do you not get more out of a LaVine-DeRozan-Vucevic trio? The fact defense became the team’s strong suit at times was a real head-scratcher.
I also think there are worthwhile questions for Donovan about his player development impact. Why did it take him so long to find the right role for Coby White? Why was it so difficult to convince Patrick Williams to be more engaged offensively? Donovan was long touted as a player’s coach, but it feels like he’s had trouble at times getting through to this group.
On the other hand, Donovan has had A LOT of success for a reason. Whether it be building the right rotations around Russell Westbrook or making a three-guard lineup work with Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dennis Schroder, we’ve seen Donovan assemble winning lineups before. He’s also consistently gotten more out of his teams on the defensive end than expected. The Bulls finished with a top-12 defensive rating in two of his four seasons, which is pretty crazy when we consider the personnel.
My gut tells me that there are still some good valuable player development skills that Donovan can offer, too. He was one of the best in NCAA history at this during his championship years at Florida. As the focus for Chicago shifts from wins to individual growth, I think Donovan can be of service.
With all of that in mind, I lean toward wanting to put him over some lesser experienced guys like J.B. Bickerstaff and Kenny Atkinson. Instead, Donovan is pretty close to someone like Willie Green. While I like Green’s potential to grow into one of the league’s stronger coaches, Donovan likely could’ve accomplished what he’s accomplished with New Orleans’ roster.
Nevertheless, I guess moving Donovan from No. 24 to No. 20 doesn’t change much in the grand scheme of things. I’d still likely agree that he’s in the bottom 10 as we head into this season, and this is something a lot of us didn’t think we’d be saying back in 2020. Perhaps Donovan can begin to change our minds with this new-look roster this season. But I also wouldn’t be stunned if more questions arise. Primarily a win-now manager since entering the league, it’ll be fascinating to see what happens to his reputation during a rebuild.
