Most who follow the NBA expected it, but now, it’s official.
Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder was named NBA coach of the year Sunday evening, beating out Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic.
Daigneault led OKC to a 57-25 record, and the number one seed in the Western Conference despite leading the second youngest team in the NBA by overall age.
Daigneault was put in charge of the Thunder four seasons ago following the departure of Billy Donovan. He led OKC through a strenuous rebuild that received harsh public criticism.
This season was the first time that Daigneault’s OKC team tried to compete for the playoffs, and partly due to the tactical brilliance of Daigneault, the Thunder tanked top ten in both offensive and defensive rating.
Daigneault’s Thunder leads the New Orleans Pelicans 3-0 in the first round of the NBA playoffs, so Daigneault’s opportunity to break out in front of a national audience is likely to continue for at least a few more weeks.
Daigneault has already established himself as one of the NBA’s best coaches with the former OKC Blue head man coming in at just 39 years old.
Daigneault is the first OKC coach to win the award since Scott Brooks in 2010.
