Although Mark Daigneault has earned NBA Coach of the Year for what he accomplished in the 2023-24 season, his impact on this franchise goes back a decade.
When Mark Daigneault took over as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020, the franchise was starting a completely new chapter. One of the youngest head coaches in the entire NBA, he was tasked with playing a key role in not only developing a rebuilding roster, but then taking the team to contention further down the road.
Four years later — following a 57-win season and earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference during the 2023-24 campaign — Daigneault has officially earned the NBA Coach of the Year Award. Of the 99 votes that were cast, Daigneault earned 89 of the first-place ballots in a landslide victory that made him the second coach (Scott Brooks) to win the award in Oklahoma City.
While Daigneault deserves this honor for what he accomplished this season — taking a 40-42 team that missed the playoffs last season to the top seed in the conference in the 2023-24 campaign — it’s important to also appreciate his holistic impact on the organization. He was recognized for his efforts in the current season by earning this award, but the seeds of his success in OKC were planted many years ago. He’s developed in this system, becoming an organic victory for the organization.
While this is Daigneault’s fourth season as head coach of the Thunder, he has been a valuable piece of the franchise for an entire decade. He first joined the organization as the head coach of the Thunder’s G League affiliate — the OKC Blue — in 2014 after climbing the college assistant coaching ranks.
