Mark Daigneault's revealing take on Thunder rookie's breakthrough
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Oklahoma City Thunder’s undrafted rookie Branden Carlson’s unwavering effort earned him first-quarter minutes from head coach Mark Daigneault. In the first quarter and starting center Isaiah Hartenstein’s absence, Daigneault turned to Carlson in the Thunder’s 136-116 blowout win against the Cleveland Cavs. Branden responded with a pair of threes amid Oklahoma City’s 30-2 run that stretched into the second quarter.
He finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 attempts, including 3-of-6 from deep, four rebounds, and one block in 17 minutes. After the game, Daigneault discussed whether or not Carlson knew he’d be receiving early playing time against the Cavs, the team with the best record in the NBA.
“I didn’t tell him, no,” Daigneault said. “[With] Hartenstein out, that’s the first thing. So, that frees up thirty minutes. And then, I give Branden a ton of credit. All the invisible stuff you guys don’t see, and most people don’t see, high-intensity workouts, the low-minute group, his Blue minutes, the way that he approaches practice, and then, these late-game minutes, when it’s a blowout. Across all of those platforms, he plays the same way. And he executes.”
Carlson impressed Daigneault during the rookie’s tenure with the Thunder. After starting forward, Chet Holmgren suffered a pelvic injury. He was added to the roster for depth at center and has maximized every opportunity since.
“I remember it was his first week, and he’s out there earning minutes like that, and he knew the whole playbook,” Daigneault added. “And, I was like, man, this guy is on it. For him to be that focused right away. So, when they perform that consistently on all of those platforms, then you can assume they’re going to perform like that in the first quarter.
“So, I give him a lot of credit for not only his readiness tonight but the build-up and the way he’s taken advantage of what other people have seen as scraps. He’s embraced that and has got himself ready. That was a huge lift for us tonight. He did a great job,” Daigneault concluded.
Mark Daigneault telling me what led to Branden Carlson earning early first-quarter minutes vs #Cavs: pic.twitter.com/T9k3jrXvUX
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) January 17, 2025
Since the Thunder’s blowout win against the Cavs, Carlson played in the opening frame in the following contests against the Dallas Mavericks and the Thunder’s 127-101 blowout win against the Brooklyn Nets. He was waived before agreeing to a 10-day contract on January 10.
Mark Daigneault secures head coach in 2025 All-Star Game
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault will coach in the 2025 All-Star Game. He secured the honor after the Thunder’s win against the Nets on Sunday. The Thunder clinched the best record in the Western Conference (35-7).
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game is on Sunday, February 16.
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