Mark Daingeault Says Thunder Wants Foundation Beyond 'Shotmaking'

After the Thunder dropped a matchup to the Lakers, Mark Daigneault expressed how the team can't rely on shoemaking as its identity.

The Oklahoma City Thunder dropped to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference on Saturday as they took a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers behind a 40-point effort from LeBron James.

In the matchup, the Lakers shot uncharacteristically well, as their identity relies more on playing stout defense and getting to the rack, as shooting beyond the arc is far from one of their strengths.

Pair this with a poor shooting performance from the Thunder and at the team snapped its three-game winning streak. With their record sitting at 18-9 on the season, the team is still performing well on the season, but Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault had a strong take on the loss after the game. 

"We don't wanna be a team that relies on the most variant part of basketball," Daigneault said after the loss. "You've gotta build your foundation with something other than just shotmaking."

This is how a team like the Lakers won the In-Season Tournament. They played incredible defense and strung together some good games while shotmaking isn't what got them the championship win. The Thunder has to embrace this as well.

Relying on shotmaking isn't what wins team's playoff series or in-season tournaments. Playing stout, consistent defense and turning that into transition opportunities creates opportunities when shots aren't falling. Also playing collective basketball, whether shots are going down or not, is a positive and can help teams stay resilient and win big games.

Still, Daigneault is right. This Thunder team is young, and there's plenty of time, but they've got to have an identity beyond shotmaking that allows them to win games or combat opposing teams when the points aren't coming easily. 

This season poses a perfect opportunity for the Thunder to do just that. Playoff experience and playing in tight games is the perfect teacher and the experience they'd get would be invaluable.

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