Daigneault Places Second in Coach of the Year Rankings According to Media Survey

In a recent poll of media members from around the country, Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault placed second in Coach of the Year award voting.

Fastbreak, a FanNation site, surveyed 20 media members nationwide about their picks for the 2023 NBA awards at the end of the regular season. On Tuesday, April 18, Brett Siegel of Fastbreak published a story detailing the results of the Coach of the Year voting in this poll. 

Oklahoma City Head Coach Mark Daigneault came in at second on this list trailing only Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings. Daigneault and Brown's recognition comes after both head coaches thoroughly exceeded preseason expectations in 2022-23, leading their respective squads to a significant jump in win totals from the previous season. 

This year was Daigneault's third year at the helm, setting a new career-high in wins for the 38-year-old. After going a combined 46-108 in his first two seasons with the Thunder, the former OKC Blue helped orchestrate an impressive 40-42 season in 2022-23 despite losing the highest draft pick in Thunder history to a foot injury over the summer.

In Fastbreak's poll, Daigneault received 10 second place votes and two third place votes. Third place finisher Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics received four second place votes and five third place votes. 

Cleveland's JB Bickerstaff, Milwaukee's Mike Budenholzer, Denver's Mike Malone and Memphis' Taylor Jenkins also received second place votes. Brown received 19 first place votes while the lone remaining vote for Coach of the Year went to Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks. 

While Mazzulla led his team to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics' impressive season was on par with expectations following a trip to the NBA Finals last season. Daigneault on the other hand, helped lead Oklahoma City to 16 more wins than it achieved in 2021-22, earning the team's first postseason bid since 2019-20.

In his first season with the Kings, Brown coached Sacramento to 18 more wins than the team notched last season under Luke Walton and Alvin Gentry. Additionally, the Kings made the playoffs for the first time since 2006, earning the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. 

Similar to the survey conducted by Fastbreak, the NBA Coach of the Year finalists are Brown, Daigneault and Mazzulla. Brown was named the winner of the National Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year award last week and is the heavy favorite to win Kia NBA Coach of the Year.

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