Tag: Mark Daigneault

2024 OKC Thunder fan survey officially open

2024 OKC Thunder fan survey officially open.

The dust has settled for the NBA offseason. As the calendar nears August, most rosters are set. The Oklahoma City Thunder enters the 2024-25 season as a title favorite.

The Thunder had a productive offseason. They shored up their weaknesses with the additions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. Both are seamless fits for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.

The Thunder also added a trio of rookies to their roster headlined by Nikola Topic, who will sit out next season recovering from a torn ACL.

As the NBA calendar enters its slowest part of the year, Thunder Wire offers fans a chance to reflect on OKC’s moves and upcoming campaign with a fan survey.

The 2024 Thunder fan survey will be open until Monday, July 29 at 12 p.m. CT. It’s 16 quick questions. Please consider filling it out and sharing it with others:


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Almost entire Thunder squad show out to support OKC in summer league loss to Heat

Almost entire Thunder squad show out to support OKC in summer league loss to Heat.

During the Oklahoma City Thunder’s summer league contest against the Miami Heat, players from the main roster started to trickle into the seats.

Nearly the entire squad attended the Thunder’s loss to the Heat in Las Vegas. This comes a game after several key members supported OKC in its loss to the Toronto Raptors.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and Thunder owner Clay Bennett were also in attendance.

As the Thunder ascend to title contenders, summer league becomes more of an afterthought than the main attraction of the offseason. All of OKC’s top players sat out the offseason event this year.

This explains why the Thunder have had a forgettable SL stint. Even though the entertainment factor has lost its attractiveness, it’s a healthy sign of where OKC stands at its core.

The only notable absences were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and Alex Caruso. The first two are busy with Canada’s preparation for the 2024 Olympics.

This goes to show how tight-knit the Thunder are. They spent part of the offseason supporting their new teammates Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell.

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Mark Daigneault offers best wishes for Josh Giddey, Lindy Waters III

Mark Daigneault offers best wishes for Josh Giddey, Lindy Waters III.

Even though free agency hasn’t begun yet, there’s already been a roster shakeup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Two notable players who’ve been in OKC for years have been moved in recent weeks.

Josh Giddey was shipped to the Chicago Bulls. The 21-year-old asked out after he refused to come off the bench next season. He now gets a fresh start as a primary ball-handler.

The Thunder also traded Lindy Waters III to the Golden State Warriors in the first of several draft moves to add Ajay Mitchell with the No. 38 selection of the 2024 NBA draft.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has close relationships with both players as they’ve been in OKC for the past three seasons. The Coach of the Year winner offered his best wishes to both individuals.

“I want to thank Josh and Lindy,” Daigneault said. “Obviously, we made those transactions recently since the last time I talked to you. Both great ambassadors for the program. Had a great impact on the program.”

Daigneault noted  — despite how extremely volatile last season — Giddey helped the Thunder ascend into a contender in the last three years as a starter.

“Josh was a high pick. Somebody that started his career with us,” Daigneault said. “Had a lot of production and a lot of influence over our playstyle and outcomes over the last couple of years.”

In terms of Waters III, Daigneault said he worked his butt off to be an undrafted two-way player to cheap depth for the Warriors, who picked up his $2.2 million option.

“And Lindy is a great program guy,” Daigneault said. “To take a guy that was basically a tryout player with the Blue and worked his way all the way through the program to the point where he’s now an NBA player teams want to trade for is aggressive.”

As the Thunder turn into contenders, expect roster turnover to be high. The only mainstays will be the trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.

“We’re going to miss those guys,” Daigneault said. “We’re incredibly grateful for the contributions they had.”

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Mark Daigneault reacts to reunion with Alex Caruso on OKC Thunder

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault reacts to reunion with Alex Caruso.

Nearly a decade after their last time together, Mark Daigneault and Alex Caruso were reunited with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder acquired the 30-year-old defensive genius from the Chicago Bulls for Josh Giddey. Caruso returns to OKC after his first big stop was with the G League’s OKC Blue — who were coached by Daigneault at the time.

The reigning Coach of the Year had the chance to react to Caruso’s return. While he acknowledged how full circle the addition is, Daigneault believes his on-court production will match the story.

“He’s gonna have a good impact on the team,” Daigneault said. “He’s a team guy, he’s a competitor. Obviously, we were there together. He was with the organization a while ago.

“But it’s not a nostalgic move. It’s a move about the present team and the future. He’s really excited to be here. He wants to be here. He’s excited to get going with the guys. I think he’s going to really energized with the locker room we have, the group we have and hopefully he add to it as well.”

Lost time between Caruso and Daigneault hasn’t weakened their relationship. The former noted he can’t wait to get yelled at in practice the first time he makes a mistake. The latter jokingly said that sounds about right.

“I’m just getting out in front of potential issues with that,” Daigneault joked. “He’s not bringing an apple to the teacher every day. I don’t know how well he’s branded himself.”

As free agency begins, don’t let the novelty wearing off on Caruso undersell the impact he’ll bring to OKC. He’s a perfect 3-and-D fit who will reinforce both sides of the ball for the Thunder.

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Mark Daigneault reveals who will coach Summer League for OKC Thunder

Mark Daigneault reveals who will coach Summer League for OKC Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are days away from embarking into summer league. They will play at least seven games spanned over two weeks in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas from July 8-19.

This will be the first time the Thunder see rookies Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell suit up for them. Nikola Topic will be out for the event as he recovers from a partially torn ACL. The 18-year-old will miss all of next season.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault revealed after OKC’s rookie introductory presser that the two summer leagues will have two head coaches.

Kam Woods — the G League’s OKC Blue head coach — will coach the three Utah games. Daniel Dixon — a Blue assistant — will coach the four-plus Las Vegas games.

This shouldn’t be a shocker as the Thunder have previously used the two-head coach strategy in recent years. It gives multiple coaches a taste to man the sidelines.

Other summer league news includes that Cason Wallace is unlikely to participate in this year’s event. Chet Holmgren will also be in town to be in the summer league practices for OKC.

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Alex Caruso details excitement over reunion with Mark Daigneault

Alex Caruso details excitement over reunion with Mark Daigneault.

After nearly a decade, Mark Daigneault and Alex Caruso were reunited as a coach-player duo. This time around, it’s with the Oklahoma City Thunder instead of the G League’s OKC Blue.

Caruso was sent to the Thunder in a trade that shipped Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls. The 30-year-old is a smoother fit in OKC than the latter was due to his 3-and-D abilities.

After going undrafted in 2016, Caruso had his first real stop in the NBA with the Blue. He used that opportunity to springboard his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he carved out an NBA career.

He signed with the Bulls in 2021 and enjoyed individual success. He was named to back-to-back All-Defensive Teams and shot 40.8% from 3 on 4.7 attempts last season in a clunky Chicago offense.

Daigneault underwent a similar unorthodox path. The 39-year-old went from the Blue’s head coach to Thunder assistant to Thunder head coach in 2020.

Even when they lost, it was evident how bright his future was in the league. Daigneault’s coaching proxy was rewarded when he was named the Coach of the Year this past season. He shepherded the youngest first seed in league history.

After both individuals had their unique paths to success, they now have a chance to be productive at the NBA level. Caruso said he talked to Daigneault after the deal and both exchanged pleasantries and jabs.

“I was smiling ear to ear talking to him on the phone just because I was excited to play for him again,” Caruso said. “He told me, ‘Don’t be a smarta–.’ I told him, ‘I can’t wait for him to cuss me out at the first practice when I mess something up.’

“We’ll hit the ground running. It’ll be great just like it always is.”

As the Thunder embarks on a contention window, Daigneault will get more shots to help carve out the roster that best suits the team’s style. One of his first shots at helping bring in a win-now player involved a former G League player he coached. That’s the value of building those relationships.

Even though Caruso is only under contract for one year, it’s evident his pairing with the Thunder is a match made in heaven. Both sides mutually benefit from their presence.

“A lot of growth from when we first started together,” Caruso said. “There’s a lot of positives and a lot of learning experiences we could take from those years.”

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Klay Thompson floated as potential free agency target for Thunder

Klay Thompson could emerge as a free agency target for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Klay Thompson is entering free agency this summer. The four-time NBA champion has yet to sign a contract extension with the Golden State Warriors and will likely field multiple contract offers from around the NBA.

According to ESPN’s Chris Herring, the Oklahoma City Thunder should consider testing the waters to acquire the veteran sharpshooter.

Herring believes Thompson would give Mark Daigneault another dimension to use. His presence in the rotation would ensure teams don’t help off Josh Giddey as frequently while thinking twice before blitzing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the pick-and-roll.

“Even if he was a hair under 39% from 3 this past season, the 34-year-old still canned 268 triples,” Herring reasoned. “…Gilgeous-Alexander was already throwing kickout passes a longer average distance than anyone outside of Luka Doncic, per Second Spectrum, because of how much space he had to work with. (Oklahoma City also uses its guards to screen off the ball in a way that’s similar to what Golden State does.) Thompson would amplify all that.”

Thompson is rumored to have interest from the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers. However, the Thunder could offer the veteran a legitimate role on a contending team in the West.

His sharpshooting could be the missing piece in Oklahoma’s rotation, providing a level of spacing that was missing throughout the season.

Of course, tempting Thompson away from the Warriors will not be easy. They’re still favored to re-sign him during the summer and continue fielding their veteran core.

Nevertheless, the Thunder should certainly kick the tires on potentially poaching him away from the Bay Area. Not only would they be improving their rotation, they would be weakening a conference rival.

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Mark Daigneault tells story on discovering Thunder’s uncommonness

Mark Daigneault tells story on when he discovered Thunder’s uncommonness.

Throughout the season, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault heavily leaned on a two-word phrase to describe his group — uncommon maturity.

It’s a quick and accurate way to detail the Thunder. They were the youngest first seed in league history and the youngest squad to win a playoff series with their Round 1 sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans.

At 25 years old, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has turned into one of the best players in the league. In just their season seasons, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren round out one of the best trios.

Daigneault has been part of the Thunder’s journey back to being a title contender. The 39-year-old was hired in 2020 as the rebuild began. He suffered through two losing campaigns before slowly turning the ship around these last two years.

The Coach of the Year winner is now regarded as one of the best head coaches in the league. In his exit interview, Daigneault pinpointed an exact moment when he realized how uncommon the Thunder were.

He answered with his first season as several players on the roster back then who are still with OKC were building blocks of the foundation they’ve established over the years.

“I feel comfortable saying this now, but in my first year — I referenced this with our team recently — we were going through a rough skid,” Daigneault said. “We had a home game. We had an arena walk-through, and I was talking about — we were in the empty arena before a game. This was my first year. And I was talking to them about putting T-shirts in the seats.

“We’re going through a tough time now, but the habits, the standards, whatever I was talking about back then — is eventually going to put T-shirts in the seats if we just stay on it and stay with it.”

Daigneault is referencing the playoff shirts the Thunder deck out during home playoff games. It’s been a tradition in OKC since its arrival and this year saw that materialize for the first time with this core.

“Lu Dort, Shai, Kenrich Williams, Muscala were there, and the snowball was rolling at that time slowly,” Daigneault said. “It didn’t feel like it was picking up a ton of steam, but over time it’s just rolled faster and faster and faster, and it’s been an incremental thing that has now put T-shirts in the seats.”

This was a very introspective answer by Daigneault that showed a peek behind the curtain of the Thunder’s operation. The Thunder’s ascension this season wasn’t spontaneous. It was something that was worked on over the years.

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Mark Daigneault believes Chet Holmgren will have a big offseason

Mark Daigneault believes Chet Holmgren will have a big offseason.

Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season ended in heartbreaking fashion, optimism quickly grows when zooming out to the big picture. It’s hard not to be excited for OKC’s future because this was likely the first of several playoff runs with this core.

It sounds like the people within the building feel the same way.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander concluded his best season yet with a runner-up MVP finish. At 25 years old and under contract until 2027, the Thunder will have one of the league’s best players during his prime.

Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren round out one of the best trios in the league. The pair of second-year players had stellar individual seasons.

The Thunder will have a lengthy title window that should span several seasons. The OKC trio’s tenures are perfectly aligned, and the guard-wing-big three-man show complement each other well.

In his exit interview, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is excited to see what the latter can accomplish with an offseason to look forward to.

“This is the lowest level of Chet Holmgren we’re going to see, which is pretty exciting,” Daigneault said. “The reason I’m so confident saying that is because of his appetite for improvement. He’s a guy that is incredibly focused. Basketball is his No. 1 priority. He sleeps in his sneakers. He will have a great summer physically and skill-wise.”

Offseasons are when most of a player’s development occurs. The four-month break allows players to decompress and work on their weaknesses. Holmgren’s openness to working out with NBA legends should bolster his odds of improvement.

After a stellar rookie season, the 22-year-old has already established himself as one of the best defenders in the league. His outside shot and handle make him a viable offensive threat, too.

“He’s done a great job of working with us as an organization on a plan and sticking to that plan. He did that last summer through the season. He’ll do that again this summer,” Daigneault said. “When you’ve got a guy with that kind of drive. … that plan is that focused and he’s willing to execute it the way he is, improvement is very predictable.”

If Holmgren continues to develop at the rate he has, the Thunder’s notable improvements will be internally instead of adding outside help. This is the most organic approach if OKC wants to be a constant title threat.

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Mark Daigneault shushes roster construction criticisms following playoff exit

Mark Daigneault shushes roster construction criticisms following playoff exit.

Following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season-ending loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the roster construction criticisms were loud.

The rebounding issues raised their ugly heads again in OKC’s Game 6 loss to Dallas. It was outrebounded, 47-31. That resulted in the Mavericks scoring 27 second-chance points on 14 offensive rebounds.

As Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington played massive roles in the Thunder’s second-round demise, many wondered why OKC didn’t go after either player ahead of the trade deadline.

The criticisms were even louder considering the Thunder facilitated a three-team deal to help the Mavericks land Gafford. Considering Gordon Hayward was out of the rotation, a lack of more moves to upgrade the roster turned into a talking point.

According to Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault in his exit interview, he believed they had everything they needed to maximize this year’s roster.

“I thought we had everything we needed with this team to be the best team that we could,” Daigneault said. “We proved in the regular season with the season we had, that there’s no one we couldn’t beat literally.”

The Thunder finished as the top seed and top-four in net, offensive and defensive ratings. The 39-year-old said he shouldn’t waste time thinking about possible what-if situations.

“It’s just never my mentality to look left and right. Looking right in front of me, we had everything we needed,” Daigneault said. “We had a special group of guys. Part of what made them special is how they operated collectively.”

After their season-ending loss, Daigneault admitted the Mavericks were the better squad all series. Dallas’ defense did an excellent job bogging down OKC’s offense and funneling 3-point attempts to the players Dallas likely wanted to take them.

“I thought from a team standpoint we had what we needed to win this series, and we ran into a team that played better than we did,” Daigneault said. “But I don’t think that’s an indictment on the roster. I don’t think that’s an indictment on any individual person or where we are.

“It’s simply we could have played better in the series, but it wasn’t an indictment on anything else.”

The Thunder will have more shots at a championship over the next few years. Most of the roster is still on rookie deals, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is under contract until 2027.

The youngest first seed in league history will have plenty of cap space and draft capital to work with in the offseason if they seek outside improvements to this roster. No other team in the league is set up for better long-term success.

This will be the first offseason where the Thunder are viewed as serious title contenders heading into the next season since Russell Westbrook was in town. While their playoff exit was a heartbreaker, it’ll be the first of many deep postseason runs.

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