Grading Mark Daigneault two years into his OKC Thunder tenure

The Final grade for Mark Daigneault following his second season with the OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder wrapped up their 2021-22 NBA Season with a 24-58 record and conducted their annual exit interviews with the Media. We were allowed to speak with every player on the OKC Thunder roster besides Vit Krejci who was undergoing a knee procedure, and Mike Muscala who was rehabbing a lingering ankle injury that needed mid-season surgery. Every single player on the Oklahoma City Thunder roster gave a glowing review of Mark Daigneault.

As Mark Daigneault continues to grow as a head coach, I think it is safe to say the label “player-coach” will follow him. From his handling of players on and off the court the OKC Thunder have found a head man that can manage relationships with the best of them. That relationship is very important in a small market as you attempt to keep your homegrown stars.

Another area in which Mark Daigneault thrives, although less important than the other points, is how he handles the media. He is fully transparent, as much as you can be as a head coach, and does a great job of explaining situations and decisions to those of us in the Media which in turn gives the fanbase as much information and clarity as possible.

From his ability to build relationships, his X’s and O’s ability, and projected upside, Mark Daigneault seems to be the real deal. When he was first hired, many OKC Thunder fans wondered if he was just a stop-gap until the team was rebuilt. In my opinion, we can put that talk to rest. He is the real deal and deserves a shot to prove it in the postseason where coaches are truly judged, whenever this team is built.

The final grade for the OKC Thunder head ball coach: A+