Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has been awarded the 2023-24 NBA Coach of the Year. He is the second head coach for the Thunder to win the honor and the first to do it since Scott Brooks was named Coach of the Year during the 2009-10 season.
Thunder’s Mark Daigneault Named 2023-24 Coach of the Year
Last season, Daigneault finished second in the Coach of the Year voting. That was behind Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown, who won the award unanimously.
With Daigneault at the helm, the Thunder saw a 17-win improvement from the previous season. The team wrapped up the season as the leading team in the Western Conference for the first time since the 2012-13 era when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were on the team.
“Our team’s success this season is a testament to the exceptional commitment and competitiveness of our players,” They are an uncommon group and coaching them is a privilege. Our coaching staff and every member of our organization has their fingerprints on what we have accomplished. It is humbling to work with them. Finally, I am grateful to Clay Bennett and Sam Presti. Representing the Oklahoma City Thunder is an honor,” said Daigneault.
An Easy Victory For Daigneault
Daigneault won the award by a landslide. He recorded 89 first place votes, nine second place votes, and only one third-place vote. All in all, it adds up to 473 points. The runner-up was Jamahl Mosley, head coach of the Orlando Magic, who received just 158 total points.
Furthermore, Chris Finch from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Joe Mazzulla from the Boston Celtics, Tom Thibodeau from the New York Knicks, and Erik Spoelstra from the Miami Heat were the only other head coaches who received a first-place vote for the award.
Congratulatory Messages
The NBA award voters together with Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort believed that Daigneault deserved to win Coach of the Year. Recently, second-year wing Jalen Williams gave his reasons for why he thought his coach deserved the award. “He’s coaching the second-youngest team in the NBA to the 1 seed… His biggest trait that serves us really well is being able to relate with us,” said Williams.
In addition, Luguentz Dort, who has been with the team since 2019 and played under their former head coach Billy Donovan, also praised Daigneault for what he has set and accomplished for the team during this season. “You talk about the success a team has and it starts with the coach and coaching staff. So give a lot of credit to them. He’s done a great job with us and every player individually at the same time… I feel like Coach of the Year should go to him,” Dort said after their Sunday’s practice.
Currently, the Thunder are just one win away from eliminating the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. While winning Coach of the Year is an impressive milestone, Daigneault and his team are likely eyeing the ultimate trophy to parade around Oklahoma City.
