Tag: Mark Daigneault

Mark Daigneault explains decision to bench Josh Giddey in Game 5 loss to Mavericks

Mark Daigneault explains decision to bench Josh Giddey in Game 5 loss to Mavericks.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made the surprising move of benching Josh Giddey in favor of Isaiah Joe ahead of their Game 5 matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.

This marked the first time in Giddey’s career he’d come off the bench. It’s been a heavily-discussed possibility all series as the Mavericks have elected to ignore the 21-year-old from the perimeter, daring him to shoot.

Alas, the change in starters didn’t change much. The Thunder had another slow start and offensive woes continue to plague them. Joe had six points on 2-of-9 shooting.

Giddey actually had a decent game off the bench, racking up 11 points and three rebounds. In a twist of irony, he was arguably OKC’s second-best player in its Game 5 loss.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault talked about the decision to bench Giddey, saying it was to give the rest of the starters more space to work with as the Mavericks would respect Joe’s outside shot.

“It gave us a chance to get back into some normal attacks on offense,” Daigneault said on the decision to bench Giddey. “Shake the game up a little bit with the opponent and try to generate some flow to start. … It also gives Josh second-unit minutes to playmaker a little bit.”

So what changed between the first four games of this series and Game 5 to force Daigneault’s hand to make the lineup adjustment? He didn’t reveal the exact details but explained the timing of the choice.

“Considering all the information before every single game and treating every game as its own life, I just wasn’t comfortable doing it up until now,” Daigneault said. “At the end of the day, I’m making a lot of different decisions. They’re not all gonna be right or wrong.”

The Thunder will try to stave off elimination as they head to Dallas with a 3-2 series deficit. How OKC handles its starting lineup in that contest will be an interesting storyline to watch.

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Mark Daigneault impressed by Cason Wallace’s playoff contributions

Mark Daigneault impressed by Cason Wallace’s playoff contributions.

As Kyrie Irving sprinted down the court, the multitime All-Star stopped at the left-wing spot for a pull-up 3-pointer. Cason Wallace contested early enough to block the outside shot attempt.

It was a massive stop during the fourth quarter of a close contest. It also encapsulated the type of contributions Wallace has made for the Thunder.

The defensive stop was one of several the Thunder collected in their 14-point comeback win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 to tie the series at two apiece.

Wallace finished with six points in 19 minutes and was a plus-five. The 20-year-old rookie is OKC’s second-best perimeter defender behind Lu Dort, which means it has the luxury of having at least one out there at all times to match up with either Luka Doncic or Irving.

Despite being a rookie, Wallace has played a major role in the Thunder’s playoff run. He’s been one of the top players off the bench and averages the sixth-most minutes in the postseason.

In the playoffs, Wallace has limited opponents to 14-of-54 (25.9%) shooting when guarded by him, per ESPN. That’s the lowest field goal percentage allowed of any player to defend at least 50 shots in the postseason.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke highly of Wallace’s performance in the playoffs, noting he hasn’t allowed his youth or inexperience to get the best of him despite the rise of circumstances.

“Just how easy he is to trust as a 20-year-old player in that game,” Daigneault said about Wallace. “He’s guarding Irving, he’s guarding Doncic, he’s banging threes, he’s where he’s supposed to be. He’s just doing exactly what we’re trying to accomplish in the game plan and the system on both ends of the floor.”

Wallace has been a key rotation player for the Thunder. He might see his role increase if Josh Giddey’s minutes gradually decline to zero. In that case, Wallace is a prime candidate to substitute him as a starter and seamlessly fit in with the starting lineup.

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Mark Daigneault explains why he lets players play through foul trouble

Mark Daigneault explains why he lets his players play through foul trouble.

Separated by a screen, Lu Dort quickly caught up to Luka Doncic, who tricked the defensive stopper into bumping into him and drew the shooting foul.

Less than three minutes into Game 4, Dort picked up a costly second foul. Conventional wisdom would suggest the 25-year-old would get subbed out.

Traditionally speaking, the risk of Dort picking up additional fouls in the first half doesn’t outweigh the benefits. A nightmare scenario for the Thunder was on the horizon. Being without their best point-of-attack defender down the stretch of a close fourth quarter against Doncic could’ve been detrimental.

But Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has always been a very calculating coach, absorbing data and figuring out the best course of action depending on potential outcomes.

Instead of removing Dort early in the season’s biggest game, Daigneault stuck to his philosophy of playing players through foul trouble.

The calculated risk paid off tremendously.

Dort flirted with fouling out but ultimately logged 40 minutes. He was part of the Thunder’s closing lineup in their 14-point comeback win over the Mavericks in Game 4 to even the series at 2.

Dort’s been superb in the playoffs. He continues to add to his mythos of being a postseason riser. After limiting Brandon Ingram to 14.3 points on 34.5% shooting in a first-round sweep, he’s held Doncic to a pedestrian 22 points on 39% shooting through four games of the second round.

The multiple time All-Star had his worst outing yet in Game 4. Doncic finished with 18 points on 6-of-20 shooting, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. He shot 2-of-9 from 3 and committed seven turnovers.

A large reason for the lackluster performance by Dallas’ superstar was Daigneault’s decision to trust Dort’s discipline. He remained in the game and sat only eight minutes.

The Coach of the Year winner is a heavy leaner on analytics. His innovative mindset has helped him become one of the best head coaches in the league.

When it comes to handling players with foul trouble, his approach toward is another example of a long list where Daigneault is ahead of the curve.

“It’s something our data science guide — one of our guys pointed it out to me — as something to think about,” Daigneault said on his philosophy towards players with foul trouble. “The more I thought about it, the more I thought it had some legs.”

Daigneault quickly realized that the fear of a player fouling out is blown out of proportion. The 39-year-old will not let a small possibility heavily influence how he coaches a game.

“So we did it for a couple of years there. What you learn is there’s a lot of games where they don’t even foul out and (Dort) didn’t foul out last night,” Daigneault said. “He finished with five and yet played physically. He didn’t try to avoid fouls. He guarded Doncic the whole time.”

Daigneault further explained his approach toward players in foul trouble aligns with his general philosophy of being an aggressive head coach. That’s most obvious with his usage of challenges. The 39-year-old seldom leaves them unused, knowing they don’t translate to future games.

“I like erring on the side of aggressiveness with a lot of things. I think chance favors the aggressor. I try to be aggressive with a lot of things. I think it sets a good tone with the team,” Daigneault said. “We want them to play aggressively. I need to coach aggressively if I want to expect that from them.”

The Thunder have developed a gem of a head coach with Daigneault. He spent years behind the scenes crafting how he wants to coach. It’s propelled him into being one of the best in his profession.

Since being named head coach, Daigneault’s stuck true to the principles he’s honed in during the early stages of the rebuild to the playoffs.

Trusting Dort to limit Doncic without fouling out by citing analytics is the latest example of how the 39-year-old is more modernistic than the average NBA head coach.

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Mark Daigneault fully supportive of Josh Giddey amid struggles against Mavericks

Mark Daigneault fully supportive of Josh Giddey amid struggles against Mavericks.

Through two games, Josh Giddey’s struggles against the Dallas Mavericks have carried over from the regular season to the playoffs.

In 28 minutes, Giddey is an eye-popping minus-27. This includes being a minus-20 in a career-low 11 minutes in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 2 loss.

The Mavericks have exploited Giddey’s weaknesses of being a non-shooter. It puts him in an awkward spot of trying to create off-ball looks that simply haven’t worked.

Despite this, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault refuses to back away from his starter. The Coach of the Year winner spoke about Giddey’s performance at length, stating the sample size of being a positive outweighs the sample size where he’s a negative.

“In terms of what I’ve seen, I’ve seen three years of Josh Giddey and he’s a very good player and a very important player to our team,” Daigneault said. “In Game 4 in New Orleans, I don’t know that we close that series if he’s not hitting shots in the fourth quarter. …

“I think it’s important with every player — good, bad, whatever — zoom out and see the big picture and the big picture is he’s been a very productive player for a long time. He’s 21 years old. He’s gonna be a very productive player for a long time moving forward.”

It sounds as if the Thunder will stick with Giddey as a starter for an important Game 3 matchup against the Mavericks. Beyond that, who knows how many minutes he logs.

Daigneault has talked ad nauseam about sticking to his rotation philosophy of going deep into his bench despite the jump in intensity in the environment during the playoffs.

“Last night, I made the best decisions I could to try to help us win Game 2. Tomorrow, I’ll make the best decisions I can to help us win Game 3,” Daigneault said. “We’ll see how the game unfolds tomorrow. As it relates to every decision I make, I can’t predict what’s going to happen tomorrow. But I can tell you that Josh is a very important part of what we’re doing.”

As the series progresses, the Thunder could face a difficult decision with Giddey and others in the rotation. The playoffs usually shorten rotations but through six games, OKC hasn’t been forced to fall in line with that conventional wisdom.

If the Thunder fall behind in their second-round series to the Mavericks, Daigneault might be forced to make drastic adjustments for pure survival.

In the regular season, the Thunder made the right call by riding out Giddey’s struggles. They ultimately didn’t affect the final results of games: OKC finished with the top seed and 57 wins.

The trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren afforded the Thunder the luxury to work it out with Giddey, who adjusted to a new role.

To OKC’s credit, it paid off with a strong finish to his season. Giddey played a pivotal role in the Thunder’s sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans. But the level of competition has multiplied tenfold in the second round.

Against the Mavericks, the Thunder likely don’t have the same margin for error with Giddey’s struggles. As the series progresses, that wiggle room will slowly disappear. If the 21-year-old doesn’t quickly turn it around, this might not be the playoff series for him.

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Mark Daigneault addresses Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 2nd-place MVP finish

Mark Daigneault addresses Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2nd-place finish for MVP.

Before the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 2 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Daigneault addressed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s runner-up finish for the 2023-24 MVP award.

The 25-year-old finished a distinct second behind three-time winner Nikola Jokic, who won the award by a landslide. This marks back-to-back top-five MVP finishes for Gilgeous-Alexander.

Daigneault said while he had hoped his franchise player won the prestigious award, falling short of it doesn’t discredit his ascension over the last two seasons as one of the best players in the league.

“I was really rooting for him. … I don’t think individual awards validate anything in terms of the work that’s been done with any of our players,” Daigneault said. “It doesn’t change the fact he had a great two-end season, great regular season, unprecedented numbers and impact he has had on our team not only this season but over the course of this build. You can’t even measure.

“An award wouldn’t change any of those things those things all exist and stand on their own two feet.”

Gilgeous-Alexander and Daigneault headline the Thunder’s dominant season as they captured the first seed. The duo has been linked since their tenures started, and they form one of the best coach-star duos in the league.

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Mark Daigneault won’t back down from rotation philosophy in NBA playoffs

Mark Daigneault will not back down from rotation philosophy in NBA playoffs.

Through five games in the playoffs, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has stuck to his philosophy.

The Coach of the Year winner is known for having expanded rotations. During his tenure, Daigneault has discussed ad nauseam the benefits of keeping everybody warm.

It rewards players for sticking to the Thunder’s brand of basketball and keeps everybody engaged. Daigneault stuck with this mindset in his playoffs debut.

Nine Thunder players have averaged 12-plus minutes in the playoffs. Ten have averaged over seven minutes per contest. The approach has worked: OKC is 5-0 in the postseason so far.

Daigneault discussed his reasoning for keeping his playoff rotation lengthy instead of cutting it to the essential players.

“Every team is different. This particular team is deep. The difference between Player X and Player Y is not very much,” Daigneault said. “A lot of guys bring different things to the table. I’m of the mentality we may eventually need (someone). I think we can need Kenrich Williams in a series — maybe this one.

“I’ve had conversations with him about keeping himself ready. Just the mindset of expanding our options. It’s unfair to a guy to need him and go to him in a big spot when you have to dust him off to get him there.”

The 39-year-old referenced Aaron Wiggins’ monster performance in the Thunder’s Game 1 win over the Dallas Mavericks. He totaled 16 points in three quarters in OKC’s blowout win.

The backup wing has dealt with inconsistent playing time, but he’s averaged the seventh-most minutes on the Thunder since the playoffs started. When push comes to shove, Wiggins always shows out.

“Trying to keep everybody engaged. Trying to keep everybody ready. Give everybody a chance,” Daigneault said. “Wiggins is a great example last night. He was huge for us last night. I didn’t go into the game knowing that was going to be the case.

“He didn’t play until the second quarter. If you cut down to seven, maybe you’re not playing him on a given night. It’s what we’ve done all year. It’s what we trust.”

It’s an interesting and unconventional approach toward the playoffs that has worked so far. Daigneault has stuck to his guns and continues to coach postseason games as he did in the Thunder’s 57-win campaign.

That doesn’t mean Daigneault is locked into this mindset though. If the situation calls for it, the Coach of the Year winner is not afraid to shake up his strategy in hopes of collecting wins.

“There’s no shame in adjusting to your opponent. Sometimes, if the cost outweighs the benefit, you adjust based on what your opponent is doing,” Daigneault said. “We don’t really care who dictates the terms. Sometimes we do it, sometimes the opponent does it. We’re trying to figure out what the best thing for the team is.”

The Thunder are off to a hot start in their core’s playoff debut. They haven’t lost a game in over a month. Daigneault deserves a significant chunk of the credit for OKC’s success as his outside-the-box thinking gives it an edge.

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Mark Daigneault addresses facing the Mavericks in Round 2 of NBA playoffs

Mark Daigneault addresses facing the Mavericks in Round 2 of 2024 NBA playoffs.

After a four-day wait, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally found out who their second-round matchup will be on Friday: the Dallas Mavericks.

The two-headed monster of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving rivals the best duos in the league. They lived up to the hype in their postseason debut with a first-round series win over the LA Clippers. Each averaged 25-plus points.

The first-seeded Thunder are enjoying another weeklong break between playoff series. A sweep against the New Orleans Pelicans gifted them the impromptu vacation.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed the Mavericks for the first time since they advanced to the second round on Sunday. The Coach of the Year winner was very complimentary of his opponent, stating they’re one of the last eight teams left for a reason.

“Anybody advancing in the playoffs is a really good team. We obviously have a lot of respect for them,” Daigneault said about the Mavericks. “They’ve been playing exceptionally. … Post trade deadline I thought that really changed their team. … Obviously a tall task for us.”

The additions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford have improved the Mavericks. Since the All-Star break, they had the league’s fifth-best record (18-9).

Both could play huge roles in their matchup against the Thunder. Washington was Dallas’ third-leading scorer behind Doncic and Irving in the first round. He can stretch the floor and give OKC troubles on the defensive end.

Gafford is the prototypical rim-running big who’s given OKC problems all season. He can be a hindrance to the small Thunder as a rolling center with enough athletic pop to constantly be a lob threat.

The Mavericks might rely on both more than they did in the first round. Backup big Maxi Kleber will likely miss the Thunder series with an AC joint shoulder separation. He will be reevaluated in three weeks.

Daigneault believes Kleber’s absence could cause the Mavericks to reshuffle their frontcourt rotations. He played a key role against the Clippers as a stretch forward.

“Our guess for them is to stay big. But we’re ready for everything,” Daigneault said about Kleber’s injury. “It definitely changes their looks in the frontcourt.”

The Thunder will get their first chance against the Mavericks on Tuesday, May 7. Game 1 will be held at Paycom Center.

Once that contest is concluded, Daigneault will have a clearer picture of what he’s working against in second round.

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Mark Daigneault said his pairing with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was not accidental

Mark Daigneault said his pairing with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was ‘not accidental’

An underrated element of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s success this season is continuity. Over the last four years, OKC has had the same coach and star pairing: Mark Daigneault and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Both have ascended to rank among their best in the league across the Association. Daigneault capped off an outstanding season with Coach of the Year and Gilgeous-Alexander was named a finalist for MVP.

Gilgeous-Alexander recently spoke about his relationship with Daigneault, which has grown over the last four seasons. The 25-year-old spoke highly of him and said he’s the best head coach he’s ever had.

“It just makes it easy to play. I think I can say that for the guys across the whole team,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He’s so easy to play for because he’s humble, he doesn’t love taking credit, he doesn’t take care about himself, he’s selfless. When he messes up, he owns it.

“Because he’s that way, he can get on us. He can hold us accountable because he holds himself accountable.”

Daigneault was asked about Gilgeous-Alexander’s comments. The 39-year-old said it’s not a coincidence they both received promotions at the same time.

“That’s not accidental. I think that’s some of the wisdom that Sam (Presti’s) done with this second time around. He was very transparent at that time with what the plan was,” Daigneault said. “It gave everybody the same starting point.”

Arguably the most important relationship for a title contender is between the head coach and franchise star. If both are on the same page, the sky is the limit as that synergy will trickle down the rest of the roster.

If not, it can make for a very awkward and ugly situation where a squad’s shortcomings turn into a blame game. For the Thunder, it appears they’ve nailed that relationship with Gilgeous-Alexander and Daigneault.

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Mark Daigneault details coaching philosophy, benefits of transparency

Mark Daigneault details coaching philosophy, benefits of transparency.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have become one of the best teams in the league despite their youth. Mark Daigneault’s coaching style has played a large part in that.

Beyond being a masterful technician, Daigneault has mastered the art of relationship building. This is arguably as important as the X’s and O’s of the game.

In his four seasons at the helm, the 39-year-old has grown with OKC’s core as a head coach. He went from a relative unknown when he was hired to the Coach of the Year winner this year.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fondly spoke of his relationship with Daigneault recently, stating they’ve been tied to the hip at the start of their tenures with the Thunder.

“I’ve never really had a relationship with a coach on this professional level like I have with him,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It just makes it easy to play. I think I can say that for the guys across the whole team.

“He’s so easy to play for because he’s humble, he doesn’t love taking credit, he doesn’t take care about himself, he’s selfless. When he messes up he owns it. Because he’s that way, he can get on us.”

Daigneault’s transparency and open communication channels are some of the strongest features of the culture he’s helped build. Jalen Williams talked about how much he appreciated his ability to hold each other accountable and stay on the same page.

“We have a lot of straight shooters on our team so it helps when your coach is not beating around the bush,” Williams said. “I think when you’re trying to avoid confrontation on things that can help guys get better, it slows down progress.”

When asked about his coaching philosophy, Daigneault said it stems from his days as the G League’s OKC Blue head coach from 2014 to 2019. He said he used to ask players what they wanted from a coach and most had the same answer.

“When I was a G League coach, I used to ask players — I met a lot of players — I haven’t asked this in a long time, but what’s the secret to coaching you? That’s a question I’d ask a player,” Daigneault said.

“Most of the players — I would say 80% of the answers — had something to do with honesty. … I’ve learned when you hear the same answer over and over again from a lot of different players, a lot of different backgrounds, a lot of different people, there’s something to that.

“There’s nothing harder than lying. You got to lie 100 times to cover for your first lie. I just try to be very transparent with the team. Especially if we’re stuck on something. If we’re stuck on something, I’ll come in and tell them, ‘Hey we’re stuck on this. We got to come in and figure this out’ rather than coming in here to dress it up.”

Daigneault’s coaching style in all facets has loudly resonated with his squad. It has led to him quickly rising in the ranks of head coaches.

Being an NBA head coach is as much about being a personality manager as it is about being a basketball genius. It’s evident Daigneault has dominated in both areas.

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Mark Daigneault hilariously reveals he uses a Twitter burner account

Mark Daigneault hilariously reveals he uses a Twitter burner account.

During Thursday’s playoff practice for the Oklahoma City Thunder, head coach Mark Daigneault peeled back the curtain on his life outside of the gym.

When discussing how it’s his job as the head coach to be emotionally neutral during high-intensity environments such as the playoffs, Daigneault said he needs to stay composed for the betterment of the squad.

“The games are emotional, playing the game is highly emotional,” Daigneault said. “For this team, my job is to be the coolest head in the room. The fans are emotional, (the media) is emotional. You guys are tweeting everything.

“And the game is emotional. It should be emotional for them. If they play with passion, it should be emotional. They should be pissed when something doesn’t go well. They should be happy when it goes well. I think it’s our job to make the next best decision and strip the emotion away.”

It was a well-said response with a bit of an eyebrow-raising moment when Daigneault explicitly mentioned X, formerly known as Twitter. The Thunder have always talked about blocking outside noise, so it was interesting to learn that doesn’t necessarily mean ignoring it.

Daigneault was asked about his Twitter usage. He said he scrolls through the app as a skeptical consumer but never actually tweets or has a photo of himself on his account. He refused to reveal the account’s name to keep it a secret.

“How else are you supposed to get information? I’m not like reading a newspaper every morning,” Daigneault joked.

Daigneault also said Thunder players constantly message tweets to him to examine. He said there is one specific player on the roster who does it more than most but wouldn’t reveal their identity.

“If you had two guesses, you’d probably get it right,” Daigneault joked.

This was an interesting little interaction with Daigneault. It reveals a small look at what the Coach of the Year winner does in his spare time and shows he also consumes social media content like the average person.

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