There is no doubt that Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is one of the best in the business.
Yes he has the best roster top to bottom in the league at his disposal, but he knows how to get the best out of it and is clearly not messing around in this series with the Phoenix Suns.
Coach Daigneault not resting on laurels after Game 1 victory
With a comfortable 119-84 win over the Suns already in the bag, and a sweep looking likely in the process, you would think Daigneault would be relaxed and looking ahead to tougher games.
Absolutely not, as he told the assembled media in between the first two games that the Thunder are going to be proactive in making adjustments throughout the series.
From Monday:
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 21, 2026
"We don't wait to adjust to when we lose. We try to treat every game in a very neutral manner. Learn from the games. Improve certain things, adjust others. Keep some the same and that process is the same regardless of win or loss."
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault on… pic.twitter.com/gqsnbI9C5w
That is a terrifying thought for the Suns and their own first year head coach in Jordan Ott, because the last thing you want is the best team in the league making adjustments of their own.
Coach Daigneault will surely have spotted that Jalen Green is there for the taking on the defensive end on every possession, while the Suns' reliance on rookies and role players having career years is painfully obvious.
With both Grayson Allen and Mark Williams unavailable for Game 1, coach Ott turned to Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach.
The experience they would have gained from this combined 23 minutes of run was invaluable, but giving the youngsters game time comes with being picked on by saavy veterans.
This series is also the perfect opportunity for coach Daigneault to try out new lineups and rotations, because it will be the easiest series his side face in these playoffs.
Not that he is viewing it that way, but there is a luxury in knowing you are the better team and so can afford to try out different combintions and go deeper into his bench to keep his stars fresh.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't even play in the fourth-quarter of Game 1, and that is a trend that will continue as long as the score remains as lopsided as it was in that one.
Finishing on a positive here and at least coach Daigneault respects the process and the Suns enough to come out and say he will be making adjustments as the season progresses.
Even if internally the dialogue around these games in different, it is the least the Suns deserve having played hard to get to this point all season.
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