In a year full of success for the Oklahoma City Thunder, head coach Mark Daigneault reaps its benefits with some hardware.
Daigneault has won the 2023-24 Coach of the Year award, the NBA announced on Sunday.
In his fourth season as the Thunder’s bench boss, Daigneault led the team to a 57-25 record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. It was 17 more regular season wins than their previous best during his tenure and the most wins for OKC since the 2013-14 campaign.
Daigneault took the Thunder into the playoffs as the youngest one-seed in NBA history and currently has them on the verge of a sweep, up 3-0, against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Multiple players have had impressive seasons under Daigneault this year, including MVP finalist and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Meanwhile, Chet Holmgren is a Rookie of the Year finalist and Jalen Williams is ascending so far in the playoffs.
Daigneault is just the second Thunder coach to take home Coach of the Year honours. Scott Brooks was the only other to do so, in the 2009-10 season.
He beat out Minnesota’s Chris Finch and Orlando’s Jamahl Mosley.
More to come.
