OKC Thunder Success Could Lead Mark Daigneault to Coach of the Year in 2026-27

Things around the league may be lining up to give Mark Daigneault his second Coach of the Year.

May 24, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault reacts in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game four of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma City is set to be near the top of the league again next season, and that could lead to its coach adding some more hardware.

The Thunder have made some minor changes throughout the offseason and appear to have their roster mostly set for next season. After falling one win shy of the NBA Finals in 2026, the Thunder will be looking to get back to the league’s biggest stage next year, and it will all start with health and another great regular season.

Of course, a great regular season isn’t necessarily dependent on health, which is thanks in large part to the coaching of Mark Daigneault. With the ability to get the most out of his players on a nightly basis and having established a winning culture, Daigneault has proven himself to be one of the best head coaches in the league, despite still being only 41.

Taking home Coach of the Year in 2023-24 after leading Oklahoma City to 57 wins and the No. 1 seed in the West, Daigneault could soon join the club of coaches to win the award multiple times. Given Oklahoma City’s success over the past few years, it won’t be any surprise if the 2025 champions rack up another 60 wins next season, but things might just line up perfectly for Daigneault to grab the award.

Finishing in the top six in Coach of the Year voting each of the past four years, Daigneault has managed to be in voters’ minds when they submit their ballots, but he hasn’t quite had the storyline often needed to win. Going into next season, the league has certainly shifted, but there’s still a degree of similarity that could make the Coach of the Year race a bit less clear-cut.

With many of the surprise teams of recent years relatively set for next season and no clear candidates to make a leap in 2027, simply maintaining the spot at the top of the standings could be enough to give Daigneault the award. Typically, a team that makes a significant leap sees its coach win the award, but with the top of each conference seeming to have little room for the types of surprises seen in recent years, next season’s award could be a matter of which team wins the most.

Considering the Thunder jumped out to a 24-1 start and won 64 games while dealing with significant injury issues all season, a healthy season in 2027 could lead to Oklahoma City flirting with 70 wins, and Daigneault may just run away with the award if that happens.