The National Basketball Coaches Association has recently announced that Mark Daigneault, the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, has been named the winner of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award for the 2024 season. Daigneault emerged victorious over five other head coaches who also received votes, namely J.B. Bickerstaff of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics, and Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic. This selection process reflects the outstanding coaching excellence in the NBA this season.
Daigneault, who has been serving as the head coach of the Thunder for four seasons, led his team to their first playoff spot since the 2019-2020 season. Moreover, he helped the Thunder capture their first 55+ win season since the 2015-2016 season, when the team was led by Westbrook and Durant. The Thunder finished with a record of 57-25, which marked a 17-game improvement from last season, making them one of only four teams in NBA history to improve their win total in consecutive seasons by 16 or more games. Additionally, the Thunder finished with a 33-8 record at home, which was tied for the best home-winning percentage in the Western Conference.
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2023-2024 NBA Season as the second-youngest team in the league, with an average age of 24 years old. Despite their youth, the team became the youngest in NBA history to exceed the 55-win mark and earn a number one seed. The Thunder led the league in three-point percentage at 38.9% and were the only team to finish top five in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage.
Apart from the aforementioned accomplishments, the Thunder also ranked highly in various other categories, such as first in three-point percentage, tied first in blocks per game and steals per game, second in True Shooting Percentage, second in net rating, third in offensive rating, third in Player Impact Estimate, third in points per game, third in field goal percentage, third in effective field goal percentage, fourth in free throw percentage, fourth in defensive rating, and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio.