Becoming a head coach in the NBA is quite a big deal, as there are only 30 jobs available, and getting one of those coveted roles is no easy task. We have many great coaches in the league at this point, Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr, and Tyronn Lue, to name a few, with all of them being very well recognized by fans of the game.
Not all of them get that honor though, especially if you have been toiling in obscurity as Mark Daigneault has been in Oklahoma City. When fans at the Summer League were asked to identify him in a game of “Who is this man?”, they were left stumped, as they didn’t have a clue.
The Athletic went around Summer League asking NBA fans hard-hitting questions such as: "Who is this man?" pic.twitter.com/2mNGRAXwPr
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 18, 2022
It was hilarious how none of them even got close to getting it right. With the Thunder in full-blown tank mode over the last couple of years, it’s safe to say your average NBA fan hasn’t been tuning into their games. We had some of them wondering if he was the commissioner for the Summer League, while one OKC fan also had no idea who he was.
What makes it funnier is that he is by no means a recent hire. Daigneault joined the Thunder as an assistant coach during the 2019-20 season and has been the head coach of the team since November 2020. If the Thunder finally decide that they’ve had enough of tanking and acquiring draft picks, then Mark might well enjoy some time in the national spotlight next season.
Chet Holmgren should help in making them a lot better and with Josh Giddey having had a season under his belt, the team should be respectable for this upcoming season at the very least. They will be led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was one of the best isolation scorers in the league last season, and perhaps thanks to these three, Mark will get some people to recognize him next year at the Summer League!
