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Mark Daigneault, head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, April 12, 2024. /CFP
Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder was voted the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) coach of the year, the organization announced on Monday.
The NBCA award is named after former executive director of the organization, Michael H. Goldberg, different from the NBA Coach of the Year Award which is named after nine-time NBA champion coach Red Auerbach. However, the last coach who received the NBCA award, Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings in 2023, was the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2022-23 season as well.
Daigneault beat J.B. Bickerstaff of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics and Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic to win the NBCA award.
Mark Daigneault (C), head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, talks to his players during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, March 6, 2024. /CFP
"It is humbling to be chosen for this honor by my peers, for whom I have a great deal of respect and admiration," Daigneault said in a statement. "Our team's success this season has been driven by a group of talented players, whose commitment and competitiveness has been uncommon. Coaching them is a privilege."
Having been taken over from Billy Donovan as the Thunder's head coach for the 2020-21 campaign, Daigneault led the team to grow better and better in each of the four seasons since then. They won 22, 24, 40 and 57 games in the 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 regular seasons respectively. They even beat the reigning champions Denver Nuggets and the Timberwolves to finish as the leaders of the Western Conference of the 2023-24 regular season.
L-R: Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder communicate in the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, February 29, 2024. /CFP
The Thunder averaged 120.1 points per game, the third-best among all 30 teams, with an offensive rating of 119.5, also the third-best in the league. They had the eighth-fastest pace and the fourth-best defensive rating of 112.1. The team also leads the NBA in the 3-point rate (39.9 percent), steals (8.9), blocks (6.6) and turnovers forced (15.7) per game.
The Thunder will wait until the play-in tournament is over to find out who they will play in the Western Conference first-round playoffs. Their opponents will be one of the following four teams: the New Orleans Pelicans, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Kings and the Golden State Warriors.