If you’ve ever met or talked to Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault you already know that when it comes to his job, all he cares about is basketball.
He loves his players and everyone part of the Thunder organization yes, and that goes without question but that’s a completely different thing. His job though? He doesn’t care about how it looks, he doesn’t care what most think, and he certainly doesn’t care about the wins. That’s why when he picked up his 100th win in his coaching career and was asked if it meant anything to him his answer was very simple.
Milestone night for Coach Daigneault @okcthunder | #ThunderUp | @BallySports pic.twitter.com/EwjgBFsP5f
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) December 9, 2023
“No.” and “It’s the same as the rest of them.”
That was it.
Daigneault doesn’t like to talk about himself at all and he’s downplayed the win but it is a big deal and his players think so also.
“It takes a lot of belief as a coach for me to have the route that I took to get to the NBA and be able to kind of just throw me out there and let me play. So it’s a big salute to him just trusting not only me but he trusts everybody Jalen Williams says after the win. “I think there’s a level of confidence that comes with that as players knowing that he’ll kind of just throw you in there to learn and he’s big on growing with experience. I think the team senses that and he’s kind of able to relate to us and kind of just let us figure it out.
Jalen Williams has been a great example of just how great of a coach Daigneault has been. Obviously he himself [Williams] has to put in the work but the coach has to believe in you and put you in situations to be successful. Daigneault has done that for Williams. Williams wasn’t a highly touted recruit and his college career wasn’t the greatest to where he jumped onto draft boards. But he worked his butt off while also having an impressive college career and impressing teams during the draft process.
Daigneault is the perfect coach for Williams. He believes in the talent and he can relate to players on a different level that others can’t.
Williams continues, “He doesn’t really over coach us and kind of lets us flow and obviously know your X’s and O’s and you can kind of relate to that as players. I think that’s something that everybody enjoys playing with him. Just credit to him and obviously the rest of the coaching staff letting us play and kind of be free and kind of giving us structure. He also gives us room to kind of grow and learn what we want to be. Big props to him. It’s fun being coached by him”
But for Daigneault, the win was just like the other 99 wins he has picked up. The 99 were part of a long journey though.
Back in November of 2020 when Daigneault there were a lot of people who didn’t think he would be the long term coach for the Thunder. Mostly because not many people knew he was. The thought for a lot was that he was just a placeholder for the Thunder to “tank” and develop. Once they accumulated the draft picks and players they needed to compete he would be out for a guy “more suited” to run the show.
That isn’t what happened though. He has more than proved himself as the guy who is good enough to be the long term coach of the Thunder. It’s been a very long journey. It has also taken a lot of work to get to that point though. Very hard work. Those teams in his early days weren’t really worried about winning because they had to put themselves in position to be successful long term. Meaning there were a lot of rocky times.
In fact, just in his a little over four year tenure as a head coach, he has the biggest lost in NBA history, the biggest home loss in NBA history, and just a few weeks ago we saw the Mavericks become the first team to ever go on a 30-0 run against the Thunder. A lot of coaches would lose teams after some of those moments. A lot of veteran coaches have lost their teams after smaller things.
How has he kept the team engaged throughout all of this though? How has he kept them motivated to keep on with the Thunder when they could go somewhere and be in a “better position to win?”
“He’s been…really open and honest. I think that’s his best attribute. He’s open and honest and really cares about the person.” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says. “Obviously he’s a great basketball mind but the person he is makes it a little more special and makes us a little bit more happy for him.”
Shai has been with Daigneault for every single one of those 100 wins and has been in Oklahoma City during those down times so if anyone is an expert on how Daigneault has been able to keep everyone engaged, it’s him.
Being a great person goes a long way. You can be a great coach but if the players don’t like you or like what you’re about, it’d be easy for you to lose the locker room. Especially when winning isn’t the most important thing at times. That hasn’t happened with Daigneault and it’s because he’s genuine.
It hasn’t been easy for the Thunder, the players, the management, or Mark Daigneault. He was put in place and a long the way he wasn’t exactly put in the best position to prolong his career by winning but he’s made the most of it. And for that, he’s grateful.
“All I’ll say is, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work here. I don’t take that for granted Daigneault says.
“I don’t take Mr. Bennet for granted. I don’t take our entire building for granted. Sam [Presti], obviously has given me this opportunity but I work with great people and I love working with our players. So anything that pulls me out of the game to game moment of the season, I usually try to tap into the gratitude of that and I’m incredibly grateful to be coaching here and been coaching here.”
The win for Daigneault was just another win and he isn’t wrong about that. The win doesn’t guarantee anything for him or the Thunder. The journey to 100 wins however means a lot more. It’s been special and the journey for more will be the same way.
