Stiles Points: OKC Thunder Have One of the Best Coaches in the NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to their best start since the 2015-16 season, and a big part of that is their bench boss, Mark Daigneault, who is one of the best in the NBA.

"Uncommon maturity" has been a common phrase to describe this Oklahoma City Thunder team. The second-youngest roster in the NBA holds the best record in the Western Conference (35-15). That phrase also applies to the team's coach, Mark Daigneault. 

Despite being just 38 years old, Daigneault is one of the best coaches in the NBA, mainly due to his poise and maturity. While he has yet to coach a single playoff series, there is a reason why many (including myself) dub him the best coach in Thunder history. 

Schematically, he is unmatched; with his intricate switching defensive concepts and cut/movement-heavy offenses, it is easy to see why his team has success on the floor. There is a reason why the league's NBA General Managers voted him among the best at drawing up after time-out plays.  

A constant throughout Daigneault's career has been how much fight his team puts up. Even amid 20-something win seasons, the Thunder battled for 48 minutes a night, which is a direct reflection on the head coach. Look around at teams like the Pistons and Hornets this season. Do you see a ton of fight night in and night out? 

That has translated over to this season as the tide turns for the Thunder record-wise; the fight and trust in their bench boss remains the same. They trust him to put them in a position to succeed, and Daigneault trusts the players to execute—a delicate, yet perfect, balance. 

Even in this game, when things do not break Oklahoma City's way, Daigneault is not on the sidelines screaming, yelling, throwing a temper tantrum, or berating his players. He is problem-solving and trying to chip away at the deficit in front of them. 

His belief in the roster, to call on any player at any time, goes a long way in keeping reserves sharp and confident throughout a long NBA season. 

Even in the course of this emotional game, on close calls where some coaches make things worse with a bad challenge or giving away free points with a technical foul (or two, looking at you, Chauncey Billups), you never know based on looking at Daigneault what the score is. 

The steady nature of his coaching style rubs off on his club, and while he would never admit this, it is a big reason why this team is so mature on the floor.

In this game specifically, without three of his most impactful rotational players, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe missed their third straight game, and Cason Wallace left this game early with a shoulder injury, you could not have asked for a better rotation from the Thunder bench boss. 

He adjusted the second-half starting lineup without being too stubborn to go back to Josh Giddey, who ended up being a driving force for the win. He let Shai Gilgeous-Alexander start the fourth quarter, breaking his normal rotational pattern. He trusted his guys to work through shooting slumps after missing open shots. 

After each loss, despite the fact that there have only been 15 of them, it is easy for fans to overreact. The coach usually has to carry the brunt of it, with every decision under a microscope. 

Much like fans do with his squad, they wonder if Daigneault can handle coaching in the postseason due to his lack of experience. But do not overthink this, Oklahoma City fans; anyone within the NBA will tell you Daigneault is one of the best in the business. 

Stiles Points: 

• Aaron Wiggins saved basketball. While it is an excellent joke on NBA social media, Wiggins certainly saved this game. As a spearhead for a 19-2 run and timely triples, the Thunder do not sniff this win without the 55th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Wiggins has made himself one of the most important rotational pieces in Oklahoma City. 
• Cason Wallace is getting more on-ball opportunities and is using them to create for himself and others. According to Synergy, Wallace is shooting 43 percent on dribble jumpers this season. 
• Josh Giddey had his best game of the season to this point, and the context of his season should not be lost. This is a 21-year-old who has seen his situation within the team change each of his first three seasons, is having to adapt and sacrifice, and plays a unique style of basketball. 50 games is certainly not enough of a sample size to get any resolution, but it is a large enough sample size to form a hypothesis. Still, the scientific process has to play out before either side is right or wrong. Either way, this was a massive boost of confidence for Giddey, who gave an honest evaluation of his season postgame. 
• Chet Holmgren earned a block of Immanuel Quickley down by three with just 1:17 left in this game to earn a stop for the Thunder en route to this comeback win. It again highlighted his elite defensive chops, as there is no way to exploit him when he can defend like this in space. Holmgren also went 4-for-10  from three-point land and 9-for-17 overall to help turn the tie. 
• The Thunder only shot eight free throws in this game, which Daigneault was "not happy about," and let his voice be heard on that, but credit to Toronto for the majority of this game playing clean, physical defense without fouling to disrupt the Thunder's offense. Still, the Thunder found a way to overcome this stat and win the game, which shows their vast winning portfolio. 
• Lu Dort knocked down four triples in the second half (including overtime) to help push the Thunder to this massive win. Of course, he played flustering defense to put the pressure on the Raptors down the stretch. When he is knocking down shots, it changes how successful Oklahoma City can be on offense. 
• Should Oklahoma City be banned from ever swag surfing again? The verdict is in, and not only is Oklahoma City banned after this performance, but the entire state is. 

Song of the Day: Spacey Oddity by David Bowie. 

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