Be Better Tomorrow The new N.B.A. head coaches. Left to right, starting with the top row: Memphis Grizzlies — J.B. Bickerstaff; Toronto Raptors — Nick Nurse; Phoenix Suns — Igor Kokoskov; New York Knicks — David Fizdale; Detroit Pistons — Dwane Casey; Charlotte Hornets — James Borrego; Atlanta Hawks — Lloyd Pierce; Milwaukee Bucks — Mike Budenholzer; Orlando Magic — Steve Clifford. Photos by Associated Press and USA Today Sports, via Reuters Marc Stein The absence of a single N.B.A. coaching change either during or after the 2016-17 season was never going to become a trend. We’re back to normal: Eight* of the league’s 30 teams had new coaches in charge when training camps opened last week. How best to catch up on all the change? Your trusty N.B.A. newsletter presents a thoroughly subjective ranking of the jobs, from 1 to 8, in terms of toughest to easiest. 1. TORONTO New coach: Nick Nurse Old coach: Dwane Casey I met Nurse in England in the late 1990s when he and New Orleans Assistant Coach Chris Finch were coaching rivals in the British Basketball League — which was several rungs beneath the N.B.A. back then and too many below it to count now. Coaching at the highest level wasn't a realistic dream for either one at the time, so Nurse wins copious respect for the career he has constructed to put himself in position to succeed Casey. The fairy tale, though, in some ways ends as soon as it starts for Nurse, who would appear to have the toughest task on the board. Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri just fired Casey after a 59-win season in which he was named N.B.A. Coach of the Year by both the media and his peers. Nurse will not only be asked to keep the Raptors at that level, but also to forge a connection with the reclusive new superstar in town — Kawhi Leonard — in a way that helps persuade Leonard to commit to Canada long-term and spurn sunnier free-agent options in July. 2. MILWAUKEE New coach: Mike Budenholzer Old coach: Joe Prunty served as Bucks interim coach after Jason Kidd’s ouster Giannis Antetokounmpo's love for Milwaukee itself is deep and well-chronicled. But the Bucks can’t dare assume that The Greek Freak’s patience is similarly boundless — not with his free agency potentially only as far away as the summer of 2021 and Milwaukee yet to win a playoff series since drafting him. So the Bucks, like the Pistons, made the biggest splash they possibly could over the summer by bringing in an accomplished coach to try to achieve some postseason success as the franchise moves into a sparkly new downtown arena. Antetokounmpo’s supporting cast still surely needs some sprucing up to increase Budenholzer’s odds of success, but the reality is that the connection the new head coach makes with his new superstar is bound to have a bigger bearing on how he fares than anything. 3. DETROIT New coach: Dwane Casey Old coach: Stan Van Gundy Kudos to the Pistons: They spent big to hire the most decorated coach they could land after parting ways with Van Gundy to make the sort of acquisition splash that we pretty much never see from Detroit during actual free agency. The willingness of the owner Tom Gores to keep spending, mind you, would suggest he expects Casey to put this team in the running for one of the plum playoff spots likely to be available in the East below the Boston/Toronto/Philadelphia tier. Yet that requires Casey to depend on Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond forming a sustainable partnership — and for Reggie Jackson to not only stay healthy but also feed into that tag team as a content and productive third wheel. Casey's lucrative new gig, in other words, won’t be easy. 4. KNICKS New coach: David Fizdale Old coach: Jeff Hornacek How Fizdale ultimately connects with Porzingis, like it or not, is going to be a constant focus after the breakdown in his Memphis relationship with Marc Gasol. But Fizdale is blessed from the perspective that he's the rare Knicks coach who doesn't launch his tenure facing win-now pressure. With the new management tandem of Steve Mills and Scott Perry vowing to build this team deliberately, and Porzingis's return timetable still so unclear, immediate expectations would be thoroughly unfair. It also doesn’t hurt that Fizdale is a savvy communicator and an undeniable source of positivity so far. Just don’t forget that these are still the Knicks. And this is still Gotham. The job is never going to be easy — pressure will always be lurking. 5. CHARLOTTE New coach: James Borrego Old coach: Steve Clifford Hard as it is at this early stage to process the sight of Tony Parker in Hornets teal, the former Spur’s presence should help Borrego. For a young head coach who didn’t play in this league, Borrego figures to benefit from the support (and bonus coaching) that a player of Parker’s stature can lend after their time together in San Antonio. It’s not like most N.B.A. assistant coaches can get too choosy about their first full-time opportunity, but every little boost helps given that Borrego isn’t stepping into the most welcoming environment. Keeping their All-Star guard Kemba Walker is a must for the Hornets, as much as this franchise has struggled to put complementary talent around him, because they lack the financial flexibility going forward to replace him. As one Eastern Conference scout put it: “Until they make some roster improvements, I don’t know if Pat Riley could win with that group.” 6. PHOENIX New coach: Igor Kokoskov Old coach: Jay Triano This was an inspired, gutsy hire by the Suns. Kokoskov's offensive creativity and readiness were unquestioned in league coaching circles, but the fact remains that no N.B.A. team had ever hired a European-born-and-reared coach for a top job before the Suns chose the Serbian. The strong recommendation of New Orleans (and former Suns) Coach Alvin Gentry, league sources say, helped convince Phoenix to take the gamble on Kokoskov, who was an assistant with six different N.B.A. teams before his big break. Let's see, though, if the Suns’ owner Robert Sarver shows as much patience with the new hire as he has with General Manager Ryan McDonough, who has had more draft misses than hits and whose roster sports a glaring hole at point guard — as well as a star in Devin Booker whose season will start late because of hand surgery. 7. ORLANDO New coach: Steve Clifford Old coach: Frank Vogel Clifford engenders respect from his peers as a coach known for preparation and holding players accountable. One example: Among the reasons Clifford is said to have fallen out of favor with Charlotte management was his reluctance to play the top draftee Malik Monk last season — at least partly because Monk didn’t meet Clifford’s practice-floor standards. A clean slate awaits in Orlando, as well as modest expectations, but the Magic’s roster remains — as it has been for several seasons now — what can be charitably described as a curious mix. Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac, Nikola Vucevic and the rookie Mo Bamba are the most notable names for a squad that, like the Suns, desperately needs a top-flight point guard. Is Clifford sufficiently flexible (and creative) to get the most out of his eclectic options? 8. ATLANTA New coach: Lloyd Pierce Old coach: Mike Budenholzer The Hornets' James Borrego starts his tenure with 30 games' worth of head coaching experience from an interim stint in Orlando in 2015. The Suns' Igor Kokoskov was the head man in the summer of 2017 when tiny Slovenia, led by stars Goran Dragic and Luke Doncic, stunned an entire continent by winning the EuroBasket tournament. Pierce, by contrast, really is a first-time head coach. He likely wouldn't have had this opportunity without the relationship he established in Golden State years earlier with Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk — nor without the Hawks undertaking a total rebuild. But Pierce can be classified as the envy of every coach in this conversation in one respect: Atlanta isn't trying to win this season. He has time to grow into the job and focus on the player-development strengths he honed in Philadelphia alongside Brett Brown. (*Editor’s Note: Even though J.B. Bickerstaff didn’t have the title of full-time coach last season, Memphis wasn’t included in these rankings because he was in place for the Grizzlies’ final 63 games.)