Even though his team beat Oklahoma City 114-106 on Tuesday night, Gregg Popovich still thinks Billy Donovan has done an excellent job coaching the Thunder this year.
That means something coming from Popovich, who has been no stranger to success during his tenure with the Spurs.
Pop has won five NBA titles in San Antonio, the most recent coming in 2014. He’s also a three-time NBA Coach of the Year.
And he’s been impressed with what Donovan has done in Oklahoma City this season. He told reporters, including ESPN’s Royce Young, that Donovan has done “one of the more masterful jobs in the league this year”.
Donovan has taken a team that was expected to win just 31.5 games prior to the season and turned them into a postseason contender.
The Thunder have already surpassed their 2019-20 predicted win total, sitting at 32-22 after Tuesday night’s loss and in sixth in the Western Conference standings, four and a half games ahead of the Grizzlies for eighth.
Despite dropping back-to-back close games, Oklahoma City is still one of the most clutch teams in the league. They’re tied with the Denver Nuggets with 23 clutch wins this season.
They’re also far and away the best in the NBA in terms of plus-minus, coming in at 81.
The next closest team is the Houston Rockets at 58.
