After winning the NBCA’s Coach of the Year, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was prideful of the award. It was a sign of respect from his peers: The 30 NBA head coaches voted on the award.
Daigneault also will likely receive the wider known Coach of the Year award bestowed by the NBA. The 39-year-old helped the young Thunder become one of the best teams in the league. OKC finished as the youngest first seed in league history this season.
Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley experienced similar success with his young squad. The Magic finished 47-35 and with the fifth seed.
Mosley, who signed an extension this season, will likely finish as a runner-up for the award. He offered Daigneault praise on the NBCA award.
“I think he’s done a phenomenal, phenomenal job down there with those guys,” Mosley said. “The way in which they play, the style that they play won. How they execute, how they’re detailed, how they’re prepared for every single game. He’s done such a fantastic job for them.”
Both the Thunder and Magic hope to make noise in the playoffs. They’ve been two of the best young squads in the league and have broken out this season.
Editor’s note: RookieWire’s Cody Taylor contributed to this article.
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