Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault Checking Boxes in All-Star Break Evaluation

The evaluations are in.

After 58 games of play, the Oklahoma City Thunder stoop at 18-40 in the midst of the All-Star break. With it, they rank 14th in the Western Conference and fourth-worst league-wide.

Upon initial read, the lopsided win-loss total depicts a sob story for most franchises. But, with Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault leading the reins – it is anything but a gripe.

Here’s how Coach Daigneault has stacked up in his second year at the helm:

Roster Construction

Presented with a hodgepodge of seasoned veterans, utility pieces, and young pieces last season, Daigneault had an overbearing amount of player plates to carry.

This season – the roster has cleared out – and the rotation has been smooth sailing upfront. But, there are still some question marks.

In Daigneault’s base lineup, he’s been able to place star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on his much-deserved pedestal, running the 23-year-old a team-high 34.2 minutes per game. To cater towards this, fellow Canadian Lu Dort has kept his main stake in the franchise logging 32.6 minutes per contest.

With Daigneault’s returning cogs up front, the additions of rookies Josh Giddey and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to the typical starting group have diced in a fun blend of both passing and catch-and-shoot avenues, but a lowly three-point clip has left this team in perimeter limbo.

Riding on a 32.0% output on catch-and-shoot threes, the Thunder are encroaching the weakest clip since tracking began in 2013. As for the biggest surprises, Lu Dort and Ty Jerome, who shot 36.2% and 41.2% from deep last season, respectively, have both fallen off of clips shooting 31.2% and 29.9% this season.

This weary play has also permeated into Darius Bazley who has shot 30.8% off of the catch.

Though Oklahoma City’s lack of shooting isn’t the one-and-only reason the team has struggled, it’s the best starting point. Given the Thunder’s weak shot chart, teams have elected to double on screens for SGA or Giddey, leaving the corner three wide open, or have allowed set players to play on an island from deep, essentially never being guarded. In the fallout of this, Gilgeous-Alexander’s play has been far more interior-driven than last season and has come with far fewer kick-outs.

Given Daigneault’s set of cards, it’s hard to peg the second-year coach to any roster construction issues at this point. However, the catch-and-shoot narrative should still be bookmarked leading into the backend of the season.

Player Development

The Oklahoma City Thunder has an entire toy box of prospects. Mark Daigneault has tinkered with the majority of the figures.

With 10 members of the team being 23 or younger heading into the regular season, it’s expected a minute crunch will be a given. Thus far, it has.

Daigneault did an excellent job whittling down the roster in the opening stages of the season, filtering in-and-out Tre Mann, Theo Maledon, and Ty Jerome to finalize a guard roster. When it was all said and done, Jerome had rightfully won the battle, but not the war.

In what has become a pattern for Daigneault and company, G League success nets you opportunities. With Tre Mann, his G League display to close out 2021 surged him to the Thunder in January, and with SGA out – he’s emerged as a starter. As for Theo Maledon, a five-game stretch of 22.0 points with the OKC Blue allowed the Frenchman an extra stint with the Thunder, and he’s shown some promise.

The same holds firm with two-way signees Lindy Waters III and Oliver Sarr, as with strong showings with the Oklahoma City Blue, they’ve earned a spot on the big stage.

Daigneault puts in the fine details. With 9-of-15 standard contract members having played some stint of G League basketball this season, the Oklahoma City Blue have helped incubate the Thunder’s fringe rotational talent while giving players caught in a funk a shot at a second wind – take Aleksej Pokusevski as an example.

To no surprise, Daigneault’s usage of his top trio of rookies fetches him his greatest accomplishment this season. With Josh Giddey, Daigneault has allowed the 19-year-old to spread his wings as a facilitator, transitioning from a secondary playmaker behind SGA to a top afinado in his absence – resulting in three consecutive triple-doubles leading into the break. Alongside the Rookie of the Year contender, Tre Mann has also been handed first-class service since SGA’s injury as in February, he’s taken a starting role for 29.3 minutes while also having the keys to spew up shots, leading to 14.3 points. In the case of second-round pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, the Villanova product has had reps uncanny to the majority of second-round members, learning the pick-and-pop ropes next to SGA while consistently starting.

In full, Daigneault has done a great job rewarding G League opportunities, and when it comes to the rookies – the spotlight is all theirs.

Exploring The Roster

In a similar fashion to player development, roster exploration can go hand-in-hand in some aspects.

Typically, your last member off the bench won’t skyrocket without playing time. That same sentiment can be said in Oklahoma City.

Outside of the main cast, Daigneault has struggled to place G League performers such as Theo Maledon, Isaiah Roby, and Vit Krejci.

With Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey both absorbing 30 minutes on the low-end nightly, a five-man guard rotation cannot be in the cards. Maledon is the usual suspect. The guard rotation really has no solution in its current state, but rookie flashes from the 20-year-old and recent highlights from the Frenchman should reopen the guard talks with Jerome.

Roby is another major member from last season’s unit under a diminishing role this season. The 23-year-old’s “small-ball” role has been stripped away from Robinson-Earl, when healthy, and with veterans Derrick Favors and Mike Muscala sourcing more practical options at the five – the former Cornhusker has been on the backburner. Ideally, the Swiss-Army Knife should fetch some time, but time constraints have hindered him. It’s clear as day though, he’s a solid kick off the bench.

Krejci is the most understandable miss off the no-show list, but he’s also the biggest enigma. Krejci, age 21, has shown a flurry of dazzling passes with the Blue this season. But an ankle injury in the Winter Showcase Final held him out until this month. Since clearance, he’s with the Thunder.

The former second-round pick adds another tantalizing jumbo-guard at a 6-foot-8 frame. And, with a great gauge on jump passes and backdoor cuts, it’d be silly not to explore the Czech with the Thunder this season, specifically as a cutter paired with Giddey.

It’s a tough task when presenting a youthful roster to fully explore the roster. Hopefully, the sunset stages of this year will hand everyone a fair crack at opportunities.

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