Kam Woods Next Thunder Prodigy in Line For NBA Coaching Job

Oklahoma City’s coaching tree is growing in the NBA, along with an impressive string of management scattered throughout the league.

It’s no secret that Oklahoma City likes to develop from within. Whether it’s players, staffers, management — or even coaches, the Thunder likes to see them grow up close and personal.

Current head coach Mark Daigneault is a walking example of that, after serving as a coach with the Oklahoma City Blue and an assistant coach on the Thunder. After Will Dawkins took the Washington Wizards' general manager position, it became extremely evident around the league just how much Sam Presti’s tree was growing.

Dawkins, Rich Cho, Rob Hennigan, Michael Winger, and Troy Weaver all left the Thunder to run different teams around the league, highlighting Presti’s ability to find young talent within management. Daigneault is one of Presti’s first finds as a young coach, but Kameron Woods is certainly in line to be next.

Woods has a keen eye for talent and has been a top-notch developer during his time with the Blue. Aleksej Pokusevski, Ousmane Dieng and Tre Mann have all experienced success playing for Woods in the G League and came back to the Thunder with a new sense of confidence every time.

Daigneault spotted Woods’ coaching talent early on when he was a player for the Blue, and the partnership has only grown since then. After becoming an assistant for the Blue, the Thunder hired Woods as a Player Development Coach in the 2020-21 season and an assistant coach shortly after. Then, a season ago, Woods took over as the head coach for the Blue.

He has a strong relationship with Oklahoma City’s young stars, as he’s served as the Thunder Summer League head coach, too. His reputation around the league is stellar, and his coaching career is certainly on the rise.

It feels like Daigneault came out of nowhere, to a Coach of the Year candidate in the blink of an eye. Kam Woods could be next to take the same route.

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