Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault Has Done 'Phenomenal Job' in Oklahoma City, Says ESPN Analyst

There is one team in the NBA to rank in the top five in both offense and defense. 

To an avid watcher of the league, the easy answer might be the Boston Celtics. Between Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum on defense and Jaylen Brown, Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis on offense, they're loaded. Other teams do make strong cases, but it seems that Boston has the best shot at being that team.

But it's not. That honor belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is currently No. 5 in both categories.

It might come as a surprise to those not paying close attention to the recent successes of the NBA's second-youngest squad, but when taking a closer look, it's not far-fetched. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an elite defender who, when paired with Chet Holmgren, has wrecked havoc on the defensive end both steals and blocks-wise. 

Thunder Rookie Cason Wallace has also shown out on defense, while players like Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe and Jalen Williams have brought strong scoring on offense, not to mention Gilgeous-Alexnader is there, too. So, it checks out. 

And according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, that starts with Oklahoma City's coach.

"Mark Daigneault has patiently, step-by-step, been a massive part of this thing being built," Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective, referring to the slow process of the Thunder acquiring assets. "A huge part of coaching is developing, [and] the Thunder develops players. The fascinating thing about Daigneault, is that everybody on the team plays.

"The rotation can be totally different game to game. He just has such a good feel for how to get everybody involved."

Between the Thunder's starters — that is, Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, Williams, Josh Giddey and Dort — there's strong production on both ends. And when the bench players start to get utilized — that is, Wallace, Joe, Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams, Aaron Wiggins and even Lindy Waters III — the production doesn't slow down. 

It continues on.

That's a large part of why Oklahoma City has found such strong success early on this season. Why it's currently sitting at No. 2 in a loaded Western Conference. Why its second-year "rookie" leads the race for Rookie of the Year. 

There are a lot of good things going for the Thunder, and whether or not it started with Daigneault, the long-term rebuild has finally come to fruition. And Oklahoma City is taking full advantage of that.

"Daigneault has done a phenomenal job in Oklahoma City," Windhorst continued. "And it's too early to say the Thunder is [a] contender, but it could be as soon as this spring."

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind our coverage.