Former OKC Thunder Forward Shines Light on Mark Daigneault's Success

The Oklahoma City Thunder struck gold with Mark Daigneault, and former Thunder forward explains why.

When the OKC Thunder hired Mark Daigneault in 2020, he was an unknown coach. He had previously headed up the Thunder's G League affiliate and served on Billy Donovan's NBA staff.

Many wondered if Daigneault was just a placeholder for what was viewed at the time as a long-haul Oklahoma rebuild. Would he be able to survive the tear-down and come out on the other side? 

Quickly, it was evident the Springsteen Super fan would stick. Despite their record, the Thunder routinely outperformed their expectations, and the buy-in from the roster was evident despite the losses mounting up in his first few seasons. 

Last season, the Thunder enjoyed a surprise season, ending in a play-in appearance and 40-42 record. Despite dealing with adversity, like losing the highest draft pick of this rebuild, Chet Holmgren, for the season, Oklahoma City fell just a game shy of the NBA playoffs.

This earned Daigneault praise from around the league, including by the national media and the annual GM survey. 

However, even before the win-total increase, the writing was on the wall for Daigneault to be considered one of the best bench bosses in the NBA. Former Thunder forward Justin Jackson explained what he saw as a member of Daigneault's first NBA squad. 

"I feel like it is easier, too, for a team that is rebuilding...It is less pressure; I look at when I was in OKC, Mark Daigneault, who is there now, who just signed an extension; it was his first year. He was like lower 30s, when he first started coaching. At first, it was like, 'they are in this rebuild season, they have a few pieces, they have all these picks, we are just going to see how he does, and how he handles the team.'" Jackson explained.

This is a really cool breakdown of Mark Daigneault, from Justin Jackson who played under Mark, on the @TidalLeague Run your Race Podcast with Theo Pinson: pic.twitter.com/EC9ocwtsj7

— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) February 13, 2024

"He did an unbelievable job. As a person, he is a super dope person. As a coach, I don't know if it is because he is so young but he is able to get all the players to buy in and buy into the team aspect. He talks to you, coaches you well, he knows his X's and O's...They gave him that time to build, and now, look at OKC." The former Thunder forward said in detailing the caliber of coach Daigneault is.

Jackson joined Theo Pinson on his Rune your Race Podcast presented by Tidal League to discuss the latest topics in the NBA, including Oklahoma City's climb. 

After giving Daigneault time to grow, the Thunder now sit just a game back of the top record in the Western Conference four years later with a game to play before the All-Star Break. 

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