As part of NBA.com’s season preview for the 2025/26 season, which is excitingly just a few weeks away from the opening tip of the regular season, general managers around the league were polled with several key questions. For instance, who will win the NBA Championship?
Unsurprisingly, the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder overwhelmingly got the nod. One of the other key questions asked was: “Which active player will make the best coach someday?” Let’s discuss who won that poll.
NBA GMs Predict Which Active Player Will Make The Best Head Coach In The Future
The results of the NBA.com poll asking who would make the best coach in the future were as follows:
Veteran point guard maestro for the LA Clippers, Chris Paul, a sure-fire future Hall of Famer who sits second all-time in assists, won by a decisive margin with 27% of the vote.
Paul, with career earnings exceeding $401 million, won by a full ten percentage points ahead of another veteran point guard, Mike Conley, who finished in joint second place with 17%. Tied with Conley is the relentless T.J. McConnell, of the Indiana Pacers, followed by Fred VanVleet of the Houston Rockets with 13% of the vote in fourth.
Rounding out the list were Garrett Temple and Jrue Holiday. Incidentally, Paul also won last year’s same poll.
A common theme in these results is that the majority of the list consists of veteran point guards, highlighting the importance of leadership and basketball IQ from that position.
Despite being at the age of 40 and heading into his final season, he’s still an absolute bulldog on the court, an inspiring leader, and a magician as a passer.
His knowledge of the game and ability to mentor players are peerless, qualities that would make him a quality coach. Furthermore, he should still have plenty to offer the Clippers this season after signing in free agency this summer.
Paul returns to the team where he established himself as one of the greatest point guards the NBA has ever seen, with 4,023 assists over six seasons for the Clippers.
Paul, on Clippers media day, spoke of his appreciation for the Clippers organization and how much it means to him to return to the team.
“This is one of those things I manifested for a long time, sorta tried to speak it into existence. You just never know if it’s really gonna happen…I have so much gratitude for everybody in the Clippers organization for bringing me in.”
“This is one of those things I manifested for a long time… you just never know if it’s really gonna happen.”
Chris Paul on returning to LA, the place him and his family still call home 🫶
Catch his LAC return at 10:30pm/et on NBA League Pass!pic.twitter.com/2hxRcEZ7a0
— NBA (@NBA) October 9, 2025
It seems fitting that in what is expected to be Paul’s final season of his magnificent career, when it’s all said and done, he can retire wearing a Clippers uniform. It might not be long until we see him return as a Head Coach in the NBA.
