Former Thunder Forward Praises OKC Head Coach

On a recent podcast episode, one of Oklahoma City's former first-round draft picks had very positive things to say about the team.

Josh Huestis, a forward who was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft, spoke highly of his former team on Monday.

On a recent episode of The Athletic NBA Show, Huestis, Zach Harper and Jay King discussed their NBA season predictions ahead of the 2023-24 season, which kicks off on Tuesday night. 

As part of their show, the trio gave their projections for NBA MVP, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year, along with a number of other topics. In their conversation, Huestis praised the Thunder multiple times.

First, the former Stanford standout said that he thinks former No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren will take home the Rookie of the Year Award. 

“I’m going Chet,” Huestis said. “The team’s going to be more successful. I think he is a little bit more ready to make an immediate impact in terms of like versatility and just having a year to like, just hit the weight room and get stronger.”

While Harper and King were skeptical of how much the 7-footer actually improved his strength, Holmgren is 13 pounds heavier than he was when he entered the NBA in 2022. Both Harper and King picked Victor Wembanyama to win Rookie of the Year.

Huestis had even higher praise for Oklahoma City's head coach, Mark Daigneault. When making Coach of the Year predictions, the three-year veteran sided with his former squad once again.

“I’m going with my guy, we came into the league together, Mark Daigneault,” Huestis said. “That’s my guy, that’s probably the best coach I’ve ever had in my life. … I’ve never had a coach who was more willing to try to relate to players. … I know anybody who plays for him, wants to go to war for him. He’s a great, great coach.”

Finally, Huestis picked the Thunder to win the NBA's first-ever In-Season Tournament, saying that having a young team who is hungry to prove themselves could result in OKC earning a victory. 

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