When Mark Daigneault steps onto the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder, he brings with him lessons from a coaching lineage that runs deep in NBA history. But before he became the Thunder's head coach, before his time on Billy Donovan's staff at Florida, Daigneault had an early mentor who shaped his approach to the game: Scott Brooks.
It's easy to forget that Daigneault actually beat Donovan to Oklahoma City. In 2014, Daigneault was hired as the head coach of the G League's OKC Blue, a full year before the Thunder brought Donovan on board. That first season with the Blue coincided with Brooks' final year as the Thunder's head coach—a season that would end with Brooks being fired after seven years at the helm.
For Daigneault, it was his first real exposure to the NBA level. "I knew nothing about the NBA at that time," Daigneault recalls. "Everything that I was seeing was new to me. He opened the door and was very gracious with his time."
During training camps and extended home stands, Daigneault would observe Brooks closely, soaking in every detail. What stood out most wasn't X's and O's—it was temperament. The 2014-15 season was a tough one for the Thunder, with Kevin Durant missing all but 27 games due to a foot injury. For the first time in six years, Oklahoma City missed the playoffs.
"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 says. "He was the same guy every day, and I took a lot of signals from that."
That steadiness is something Daigneault has carried into his own coaching career. Now, with 275 wins as Thunder head coach—second only to Brooks' franchise-record 338—Daigneault is facing his old mentor in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Brooks, now an assistant coach for the Lakers under JJ Redick, brings a wealth of experience that includes five seasons as head coach of the Washington Wizards.
When Redick was first being considered for the Lakers job, he received the same advice from nearly two dozen people across the league. "You gotta hire Scott Brooks," they all said. It's a testament to the impact Brooks has had on so many in the basketball world—including the young coach who watched him closely a decade ago and is now making his own mark on the game.