Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was announced as the NBCA’s winner for 2023-24 Coach of the Year.
In his fourth season as the head coach, Daigneault led OKC to the youngest top seed in league history. The Thunder finished with a 57-25 record, a 17-win jump from last season’s 40-42 record.
The traditional Coach of the Year honor has not been announced, but Daigneault is likely the favorite to win that award. Following the Thunder’s practice on Wednesday, the 39-year-old talked about the achievement.
“I’m humbled. Great respect and admiration for other coaches. Any time you’re recognized by your peers, there’s something meaningful about that,” Daigneault said. “… (It) starts with the players but then all of the people in the organization. All the invisible work that gets done the team benefits from. In this case, I get singled out for it.
“Certainly humbled and grateful for the recognition but at the same time wanting to make sure I spread that back out.”
Daigneault has always been passive about receiving credit for the job he’s done since being promoted to Thunder head coach in 2020. As OKC ascends to one of the best squads in the league, it was only fair to assume he’d also get recognized for the job he’s done to turn around the franchise.
