Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault directs players against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Sam Presti Explains Foundation of Mark Daigneault's Success With OKC Thunder

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Ivan White | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 1:30 PM ET

Oklahoma City has one of the top rosters in the NBA, but its head coach has been just as important to the team’s success.

Last season, Mark Daigneault won a championship in only his fifth season as the Thunder’s head coach. After spending years in the G League and on Billy Donovan’s staff, the Thunder promoted him to the top spot on the bench ahead of the 2020-21 season and haven’t looked back.

Winning Coach of the Year in 2023-24 and leading the team to 68 wins and a title last season, there is no doubt about whether Oklahoma City hired the right guy. In his preseason press conference on Thursday, Sam Presti explained what has made Daigneault such a crucial piece of the franchise.

“I think Mark’s emblematic of so much of our organization,” Presti said. “He’s had such a big influence on us, as well. He’s a continuous learner, and he spends a lot of time thinking about ways in which we can get better and ways he can get better.”

That desire to improve and learn has been a staple of the Thunder since he took over as head coach. Perhaps best known for his “0-0 mentality,” Daigneault’s coaching style has expanded well beyond his most notable philosophy.

Entering the job as a young coach at the start of a rebuild, Daigneault was allowed the opportunity to grow alongside his players, particularly Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, who have been around for his entire tenure. After combining for 46 wins in his first two seasons, Daigneault has led the Thunder to three straight postseason appearances, culminating in last season’s NBA title.

While it wasn’t always clear from the outside looking in, Presti explained how the foundation for last season’s success was laid in 2021. While Daigneault was far from being a championship head coach when he was hired, the Thunder always had a vision in place for what the future would look like.

“We talked very clearly at the time when he was hired about why he was hired, how we felt he would help us create the kind of play style that could be scaled upon and would continue to adopt the mentality of discovery,” Presti said. “And he’s done an excellent job with that.”

As the Thunder look to continue chasing championships for the foreseeable future, the foundation set by Presti and Daigneault half a decade ago will be on full display. Considering how much success Daigneault has had in Oklahoma City, don’t be surprised if he ends up with more hardware next season, whether it be another Coach of the Year, another Larry O’Brien or both.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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