Grading Mark Daigneault two years into his OKC Thunder tenure
By Rylan Stiles
Mark Daigneault has shown elite potential as a head coach of the OKC Thunder
Look, it is extremely difficult to grade an NBA head coach in general. That task is even more difficult two years in. Then, the fact, that the team’s roster is more optimized to lose rather than win, and the fact we have not seen Mark Daigneault coach in the playoffs yet, it continues to be a ton of guesswork. Though, having watched all 154-games of his career (most games multiple times), and being involved in the vast majority of every pre-game, post-game, and post-practice press conference I feel confident in this snap judgment with the data points we do have.
One of the most interesting aspects of Mark Daigneault’s career is how flexible he is, forward-thinking, or modern however you would like to put it. Being comfortable enough to start Josh Giddey right out of the gate, going small enough to start Jeremiah Robinson-Earl over Derrick Favors, and understanding you need multiple playmakers, the importance of three-point shooting, versatile team defensive concepts, and building relationships with the players on the roster.
Perhaps his best trait is his patience. Not only with Sam Presti and the organization in building a title contender, but with players on the roster. When dealing with a roster so young that even while including a pair of 31-year-olds in Mike Muscala and Derrick Favors, it still is a younger collection of players than the 2021-22 Texas Longhorns basketball team, you have to have patience. You have to develop them in a way that handles their extreme highs and extreme lows.
Mark Daigneault is also elite at drawing up out-of-bounds plays and running a more structured offense than his predecessors. How will he adjust game-to-game in a seven-game series against the same opponents? We do not know yet, but he is off to a great start.