In one of the more unconventional rises to being an NBA head coach, Mark Daigneault has had quite the journey with plenty of helpful guides. We know about Billy Donovan. Both in his time at Florida and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
We know about Sam Presti taking a swing at Daigneault. But another underrated contributor that doesn’t get talked about as much was a former Thunder head coach. Scott Brooks was his first exposure to the NBA world. Joining in 2014, he saw firsthand what it was like to navigate a roster headlined by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
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There are plenty of NBA storylines oozing out of the Thunder’s upcoming Round 2 series against the Los Angeles Lakers. And while the playoff series might fall short of being competitive on the court, there are plenty of drama-filled angles to attack.
One being about Brooks and how he helped Daigneault. The former has been a Lakers assistant coach for the last two seasons. He joined JJ Redick’s staff as a way to have some NBA head coaching experience on hand. Now, he’s on the opposite side of OKC’s home bench in their NBA playoff series.
“It was my first exposure to the NBA. I was a G League coach. I had never coached a 24-second shot clock before or been a head coach,” Daigneault said. “He was gracious enough to let me be around the team in training camp. When there were home games, I’d be around, preseason stuff in their staff meetings.”
The Thunder enjoyed some of their best years under Brooks. He was the head coach from 2008-15. Under him, they made the 2012 NBA Finals and three Western Conference Finals appearances. Durant also won his sole MVP award with him calling the shots.
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“He opened the door and was very gracious with his time. That season was a tough season for the team. If you remember, the team had a ton of injuries,” Daigneault said. “When I was around, I just marveled at his ability to remain incredibly steady from a temperament standpoint, despite the fact that he was going through a tough season with guys in and out.”
A couple of head coaches later, the Thunder found their guy in Daigneault. He became the rare exception of someone who grinded through a rebuild and eventually led an NBA champion. Alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC’s coach-superstar duo can relate to their improbable ascensions in their respective field. Brooks played a part in that a decade ago.
“It was the first NBA coach I saw. So for me, this is what coaching in the NBA is,” Daigneault said. “You have to manage the team over an 82-game schedule. I thought he did a masterful job.”
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: How a Lakers assistant coach helped Mark Daigneault’s NBA journey