Mark Daigneault Explains Decision to Bench Josh Giddey in Game 5 Against Mavericks

The Oklahoma City Thunder decided to bench Josh Giddey for the first time in his career on Wednesday, and Mark Daigneault explained the move.

May 13, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) warms up before the / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder altered their starting five for the first time this season - when healthy - pushing Josh Giddey to the bench, snapping a 218-game starting streak. This got Oklahoma City started off on the right foot, before eventually falling behind by as many as 18.

This was a calculated, and assuredly uncomfortable, decision the OKC Thunder had to make to sit their No. 6 pick from the 2021 NBA Draft for the first time in this career. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault explained the move.

“It gave us a chance to get back into some normal attacks on offense,” The Thunder bench boss explained when discussing the decision to make the change. “Shake the game up a little bit with the opponent and try to generate some flow to start… It also gives Josh second-unit minutes to playmaker a little bit.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder were willing to make a move to swing the series and this individual call did not cost them a pivotal Game 5 as the intended purpose of the move paid off for the Thunder out of the gate.

“Considering all the information before every single game and treating every game as its own life, I just wasn’t comfortable doing it up until now,” Daigneault added. “At the end of the day I’m making a lot of different decisions. They’re not all gonna be right or wrong.”

It is yet to be seen if this move will carry into Game 6 as the Oklahoma City Thunder face elimination. The Thunder got off to one of their fastest starts of the series with Isaiah Joe in the first five while opening the floor for Giddey during his stint to earn more on-ball chances. Still, it wasn't as perfect as the Thunder could've hoped for during a 105-92 loss.

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