Thunder coach Mark Daigneault wins NBA coach of the year

Mark Daigneault (Google Images)

According to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault of Leominster, Massachusetts has been named the 2023-24 National Basketball Association head coach of the year. He received the honour on Sunday after beating out Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic. 

In an interesting note, Daigneault, Finch and Mosley have all been part of their respective teams since the 2020-21 NBA seasons. Meanwhile, Finch made NBA headlines on Sunday night after suffering an injury. Late in the fourth quarter in the Timberwolves’s 122-116 win over the Phoenix Suns, Finch collided with Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley of Fayetteville, Arkansas. As a result according to David Brandt of the Associated Press, Finch ruptured his patellar tendon in his right knee.

Getting back to Daigneault, it was a fine season for the Thunder. They were tied with the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the Western Conference. Both teams had a record of 57 wins and 25 losses for a winning percentage of .695.

Meanwhile, the Thunder went from 10th to first in the Western Conference standings. That was a 17-win improvement from 2022-23.

What makes this Thunder group special is the fact that this a definite team on the rise. They are loaded with young talent and a Canadian superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Toronto, Ontario. In the 2024 NBA playoffs, Daigneault and Gilgeous-Alexander are one win away from sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans. After a close 94-92 game one win, the Thunder have been dominant the last two games with victories of 124-92 and 106-85.