Often, when a team's roster is as stacked as the OKC Thunder, the head coach appears to get overlooked. Whether it's Pat Riley with the Showtime Lakers or Erik Spoelstra from his time spearheading the Big Three Miami Heat, it seems that the headman is thrown by the wayside in favor of the club's star athletes when it comes to credit for success.
However, during this first month of action in 2025-26, it has become increasingly difficult to write off Mark Daigneault's sideline mastery as anything other than extraordinary.
In fact, The Athletic's Sam Vecenie believes his efforts have been so sensational that, after just 18 games played, he feels the 40-year-old should already be crowned as the Coach of the Year.