Mark Daigneault's Unwavering Belief in OKC Thunder's Identity Paying Off In Postseason

The OKC Thunder continue to buck conventional wisdom and dig deep into their bench this postseason, which is paying off in a major way.

Apr 24, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder have not changed their philosophy in the NBA postseason. Despite conventional wisdom suggesting you should shrink your lineups, Mark Daigneault has stayed true to his robust rotation style through his first five postseason games.

This goes against the Godfather, Pat Riley, who famously said “Play eight, trust seven,” when discussing his approach in the playoffs. While Riley with his slicked-back hair and armoni suits could make anything sound good, that plan was executed to the tune of five NBA championships as an NBA bench boss.

It is no surprise that other coaches around the NBA began to emulate that model and not stray from it. On Wednesday following Daigneault once again deploying ten players in Game 1 with the result in the balance before things broke open, the Thunder sideline pacer was pressed for answers on this philosophy.

“I’ve never been more insecure about my philosophy than when you’re throwing Pat Riley in my face,” Daigneault said jokingly as the question was prefaced with Riley’s ideology.

Though, behind the ah-shucks attitude, crooked smile and hearty chuckle, Daigneault is unbelievably secure in his stance on the sidelines. In just his fifth postseason game pacing the sidelines, the former G League coach has stayed true to himself while others raise eyebrows.

“Every team is different, this particular team is deep. The difference between player-x and player-y is not very much. A lot of guys bring different things to the table. I am on the mentality that we will eventually need [everyone].” Daigneault said on Wednesday.

That potential need for a variety of players is what has spurred the Thunder bench boss to riffle through players this postseason.

“Really just the mindset of expanding our options. It is unfair to a guy to need him and go to him in a big spot when you have to dust him off. So, trying to keep everybody engaged, trying to keep everybody ready. Give everybody a chance,” The Thunder coach explained.

His willingness tto be flexible resulted in one of the biggest advantages Oklahoma City enjoyed last night.

“[Aaron] Wiggins is a great example of that. He was huge for us last night. I didn’t go into the game knowing that that was going to be the case. He didn’t play until the second quarter. So, if you cut down to seven, then you aren’t playing him on a given night,” the 39-year-old explained.

Wiggins finished the night with the second-highest plus-minus on the team last night restringing a plus-18 in 22 minutes off the pine. The Maryland product’s night included 16 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.

Daigneault - despite his tongue-in-cheek comment - has an unwavering belief in his ideology and his teams' identity. That has netted Oklahoma City a 5-0 record thus far in the postseason.

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