Every great coach has a mentor, and for Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, that influence came from an unexpected source: Scott Brooks, now a Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach and his current playoff adversary.
While Daigneault is best known for his time under Billy Donovan at Florida and as a Thunder assistant, many forget he actually arrived in Oklahoma City before Donovan did. In 2014, Daigneault was hired as the head coach of the OKC Blue, the Thunder's G League affiliate. That same year marked Scott Brooks' final season as Thunder head coach after seven years at the helm—a tenure that ended with his dismissal following the 2014-15 campaign.
The timing was serendipitous. For Daigneault, then a young coach still learning the NBA ropes, Brooks became an invaluable early mentor. "I knew nothing about the NBA at that time, and so everything that I was seeing was new to me," Daigneault recalled. "He opened the door and was very gracious with his time."
During that season, Daigneault frequently observed Brooks and the Thunder during training camp and home stands. What struck him most wasn't X's and O's, but Brooks' remarkable composure during a difficult year. The Thunder, missing Kevin Durant for all but 27 games due to a foot injury, missed the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. Yet Brooks never wavered.
"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," Daigneault said. "He was the same guy every day, and I took a lot of signals from that."
That steady approach has clearly left its mark. Today, Brooks ranks first in Thunder franchise history with 338 wins, followed by Daigneault at 275 and Donovan at 243. Now in his second season on JJ Redick's Lakers staff, Brooks' reputation as a mentor continues to precede him. When Redick was being considered for the Lakers job, he heard the same advice from 20 to 25 people across the NBA: "You gotta hire Scott Brooks."
Their interview? A round of golf that felt more like a natural fit than a formal meeting. For Daigneault, that's just another chapter in a relationship that started with a simple open door—and continues to shape his coaching philosophy today.