NOT TOO SURPRISING: Thunder’s Mark Daigneault wins NBA Coach of the Year award

Daigneault was a finalist for the award last season.

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault won the 2023-24 NBA Coach of the Year award, the league announced on Sunday.

Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic were the other finalists. Daigneault won in a landslide, securing 89 of a possible 99 first-place votes from media. Mosley finished in second place while securing four first-place votes. Finch tallied one first-place vote and the third-highest point total in the voting tally.

Daigneault was also voted Coach of the Year by his NBA coaching peers.

The 39-year-old Daigneault, who was a finalist for the award last year, is in his fourth season with the Thunder and led them to a 57-25 record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Thunder had not been to the postseason since 2019-20.

Mark Daigneault is the NBA Coach of the Year

In their first 55-plus win season since 2015-16, the Thunder improved by 17 games from last season and were led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Rookie of the Year finalist Chet Holmgren.

The improvement in the wins column meant the Thunder are only one of four teams in NBA history to increase their win total in consecutive seasons by 16 or more games.

Over four seasons, Daigneault has helped turn the Thunder into one of the league’s best offenses. During the 2023-24 regular season, they led the NBA in 3-point percentage (38.9%) and were top five in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and free throw percentage. They were also top five in offensive rating (118.3), points per game (120.1) and True Shooting Percentage (60.8).

“Our team’s success this season has been driven by a group of talented players, whose commitment and competitiveness has been uncommon,” Daigneault said after being named the National Basketball Coaches Association’s NBA coach of the year earlier this month. “Coaching them is a privilege.”