Oklahoma City Thunder sign coach Daigneault to multi-year extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the biggest surprises in the NBA last season and the team believes coach Mark Daigneault can help them take the next step.

Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti announced the team signed Daigneault to a multiyear extension on Wednesday.

Terms of the deal were not released.

The Thunder were not expected to be particularly good in 2022-23 after finishing with the NBA's fourth-worst record in 2021-22, coupled with a foot injury suffered by No2 overall pick Chet Holmgren last summer forcing him to miss the entire season.

Daigneault, however, nearly directed Oklahoma City to a playoff berth and he finished second in NBA Coach of the Year voting.

The Thunder went 40-42 in the regular season before beating the New Orleans Pelicans in a Play-In game. Oklahoma City's season ended with a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a second Play-In game.

Their 16-win improvement from the 2021-22 season was the second-biggest jump in the NBA behind the Sacramento Kings' 18-win increase.

Daigneault is entering his fourth season at the helm at Oklahoma City after serving as a Thunder assistant in 2019-20 - the last season the team made the playoffs. Prior to working on the Thunder bench, he spent five seasons as head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue, the team's G League affiliate.

Next order of business for Daigneault is a playoff berth and series win - something the Thunder haven't achieved since 2015-16, when they lost to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the Western Conference finals.