Stiles Points: OKC Thunder Owe Plenty of Credit to Bench Boss Amid Start

The Oklahoma City Thunder owe plenty of credit to their bench boss, Mark Daigneault, amid strong start to the season.

Oct 27, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault yells at an official following a call during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a 7-0 start in the 2024-25 season, the best in franchise history and a record-breaking start in NBA history with seven straight double digit wins under their belt to begin the campaign.

With plenty of reasons to be impressed by the Bricktown ballers, one reason in particular stands out: Their bench boss.

The Thunder have not lacked adversity since the beginning of the season, with a CVS receipt worth of injuries in the front court and a stagganat offense throughout all seven contests, Oklahoma City has shown high resilience and professionalism throughout these games.

That can all be traced back to the foundation Mark Daigneault has laid since arriving in Bricktown. Even when the Thunder were winning 20-something games under his leadership, it was clear each and every night Daigneault squeezed the most out of those teams possible, especially on the defensive end.

Now, with one of the most talented roster in the sport and littered with elite level defenders, those same principals and propelling them to blow out wins. The most important of those beliefs is the 0-0 mindset.

The Thunder have navigated two three game in four night stretches, they have played bad teams, they have played a thought of contender and everything in between en route to their 7-0 record. Though, each night, like Monday against the Magic, you would think the Thunder are fighting for their lives.

That intensity and effort level is uncommon in the NBA during the regular season, often times a poor shooting night like the Thunder suffered through in the first two games, is enough to pack it in and try again next time. Oklahoma City keeps swinging, in large part due to their bench boss, and they keep winning.

Stiles Points:

• Cason Wallace has continued to impress as a starter bringing an added level of defensive intensity as well as gelling better with the core four offensively as well.
• Isaiah Joe began raining triples in the third frame going on a 9-0 self run to pop the game open.
• Jalen Williams has his best offensive game of the season getting to his spots in the mid range and showing off soft touch as well as having his 3 point shot working and getting to the rim more.
• The Thunder only played Chet Holmgren 22 minutes against the Magic, but this was by design. The seven-footer is perfectly healthy but with a game out of reach and a taxing workload on his plate to start the season as the lone big man, the Thunder used the fourth frame to get Holmgren some rest.

Song of the Day: Pure Comedy by Father John Misty

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.