Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was announced as the NBA Coaches Association NBA Coach of the Year on Monday. The award is voted upon by the league’s 30 head coaches, and while he wasn’t the only coach to receive votes, it’s safe to say he was clearly deserving of the award of turning the Thunder into the youngest team in NBA history to secure a 1 seed just a year after losing in the second play-in game.
Mark Daigneault was essentially unheard of when he was announced as OKC’s head coach just a few seasons ago, but he has quickly won the love and respect of not just Thunder fans, but of NBA fans, players, and coaches. In honor of Daigneault winning the award, let’s take a look of some quotes from Mark’s time in OKC, highlighting the wisdom of the man that spearheaded the turnaround of Thunder basketball.
Mark Understood the Pathway to Offensive Success, Even Back Then
When Mark Daigneault was introduced as the Thunder’s new head coach in November of 2020—a little over a month prior to the start of the abbreviated 2020-21 season—OKC was fresh off a 7-game series first round loss to the Houston Rockets and staring down the barrel of a complete rebuild. The Thunder finished that season at 17th in the league in 3-point percentage at 35.5%. In his first season, that number sank to 35.1% as OKC finished 29th in the NBA. In the modern NBA, those types of numbers are definitely not going to lead to wins, and even though it wasn’t happening just yet, it was obvious that Daigneault understood what needed to happen on offense in order for OKC to be successful.
On his offensive philosophy: “As a foundation, the way I see the game offensively is you’ve got to play with great pace, keep the floor spaced and let the ball breathe…and let players play to their strengths.”
Fast forward to present day, and the Thunder has emerged as the league’s top three-point shooting team just two seasons after ranking dead last. In that time, the hire of shooting coach Chip Engelland has proven to be well worth the money, but looking back at what Mark had to say on Day 1, it’s obvious that he knew exactly what he was talking about and what he wanted to do in order to turn this team in a contender. The Thunder are not just the best three-point shooting team in the NBA, but they are top 5 in pace, offensive rating, and assist-to-turnover ratio—all areas that prove just how deadly OKC’s offense is.
0-0 Mindset
Mark Daigneault is known as being a guy cut from the same cloth as Thunder General Manager Sam Presti, in part of because of his sound bites in interviews. He’s quick with the one-liners, and he has plenty to choose from, but many of their snippets of wisdom that can be applied to life beyond basketball. Daigneault understands that the NBA season is a long one, and while the goal is to win games, it’s important to remember that you want to win the last game of the playoffs more than any individual game in the regular season.
For a while now, pretty much every Thunder player has mentioned a “0-0 mentality” or “0-0 mindset.” This is clearly part of OKC’s philosophy, and it comes straight from Mark Daigneault. This phrasing comes out of something that Nick Collison said in 2016 when the Thunder went up 3-1 on the Dallas Mavericks: “Happy teams get beat.” Daigneault took that bit of wisdom from Collison and transformed it into a simple statement of “0-0 Mindset” that he began using during his time with the OKC Blue before carrying it with him to the Thunder.
The heart behind the 0-0 mindset is that every day is a new day. What happened yesterday and what happens tomorrow doesn’t matter because today must take place. Win or lose, it’s always on to the next one, and while the Thunder have experienced incredible wins and heartbreaking losses this season, they have consistent pushed on to the next one without much hesitation or distraction. This type of mature mentality is exactly what makes the Thunder so dangerous in the playoffs, regardless of their historically young age.
Mark Understands the Process
“…development is not linear and the reason we say growth through experiences is you have to grow through your struggles. And sometimes your struggles are blessings in disguise.”
Thunder guard Josh Giddey had a very up-and-down year. In the midst of dealing with some allegations of inappropriate conduct with a minor, Giddey saw his numbers dropping for a chunk of the middle of the season, and many were quick to criticize him. Mark Daigneault addressed the concerns back in December, recognizing that while Giddey’s efficiency was down, that was not an indicator that he was a worse player. He went on to talk about how struggle is where growth really happens, and after looking at Josh Giddey’s strong finish to the regular season, it’s pretty obvious that Mark was right, yet again.
Mark Gives Credit Where Credit is Due
Humility is an essential part of what many have come to know as the Oklahoma standard. As an integral part of the Oklahoma City community, the Thunder has embodied the Oklahoma standard in so many ways over the last 16 years, and the humility that has existed throughout the organization can be seen from the top to the bottom. Mark Daigneault has consistently been a man who shines the spotlight on others, highlighting what they do well and how they have contributed to the Thunder’s success.
“I think people that are great at what they do and that are great craftsmen, they’re good because of what’s invisible. They’re good because of what’s invisible. They’re good because of what’s boring.”
In a recent interview, Los Angeles Laker and future hall of famer LeBron James commented on Thunder GM Sam Presti, labeling him the “MVP.” In response to James’s comments, Daigneault agreed before going into detail about part of what makes Presti so great, saying, “I think people that are great at what they do and that are great craftsmen, they’re good because of what’s invisible. They’re good because of what’s invisible. They’re good because of what’s boring.”
A lot of the Thunder’s work is on full display when the whistle blows, the ball is tipped off, and the game is played, but it’s the consistent day-to-day work from everyone involved that has turned this team into a legitimate championship contender. Players do not simply show up a couple of hours before a game, put up some practice shots, and then go play. They spend pretty much every hour of their lives during the season dedicated to the craft, making decisions that will push them closer to the top. Sam Presti’s best work is often done behind closed doors or in the shadows, and fans cannot truly appreciate what he does until the results are made clear that he knows what he’s doing. Daigneault’s recognition of all of that shows his humility, but he’s also very quick to praise his players.
While Mark Daigneault undoubtedly deserves SOME praise for his role in developing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over the last few years, he’s not likely to much credit. Recently Daigneault said, “He wasn’t this good when we traded for him. He’s forged himself into this player.”
Just yesterday, Daigneault spoke on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, specifically why he felt the star point guard was worthy of winning the NBA’s MVP award: “I think his consistency, his poise, his confidence, has an unbelievable contagious effect. When you look at what he did this year, what seeds he planted in previous years, there’s no one I’d rather have on our team than him.”
When it comes down to it, Daigneault deserves a ton of praise for what he’s done in such a short time in Oklahoma City. He is without a doubt worthy of his award as the top coach in the NBA this season. But as is typical of the Thunder head coach, he’s not one to let the spotlight focus on him. Trusting his team and the Thunder organization like he does is further proof of his confidence and security in those around him, and that is not something to be taken for granted.
Back to Business
“It is humbling to be chosen for this honor by my peers, for whom I have a great deal of respect and admiration,” Daigneault said in a statement. “Our team’s success this season has been driven by a group of talented players, whose commitment and competitiveness has been uncommon. Coaching them is a privilege.”
That’s probably about as detailed as Daigneault will get concerning the award as he understands the task that lies before him: the playoffs. A few years back, Sam Presti made the comment, “When we do get back to the postseason, we want it to be an arrival and not an appearance.” Well, making your return the playoffs as the top-seeded team in a brutal conference is definitely one way to announce an arrival, and the Thunder are blessed to have Mark Daigneault at the helm.