Why is OKC Thunder playing deep rotations in NBA playoffs? Mark Daigneault explains
Mark Daigneault, a coach who’s built an identity on being firm in his own beliefs, found himself in a rare moment. He’d been asked about his philosophy with his rotations — certainly not a new question — in the postseason. But in the question’s phrasing, he was presented with legendary coach Pat Riley’s “play eight, rotate seven” mantra.
“I’ve never been more insecure about my philosophy than when you’re throwing Pat Riley in my face,” the Oklahoma City coach said in a tongue-in-cheek tone.
Then he went on to spew his ideas and reasons for them. Ironically, fresh off a 117-95 Game 1 win Tuesday night for the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, Daigneault had reason to drift as far away from insecurity as he ever has.
Contrary to Riley, Daigneault used 10 players prior to garbage time. He rotated 10. He played 10. And he probably trusted in 10. The 39-year-old coach leaned into the open rotation he’s kept all year, keeping the Mavericks or the nature of the postseason from forcing his hand.
It helped OKC bulldoze the Mavs, seeing small, ready-made rotations change the course of the game.
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Dallas predictably quarantined itself in the paint, leaving Josh Giddey to roam on the perimeter. Giddey, who had success both late in the regular season and in the first round, was a team-worst minus-7. Luka Doncic took on and ignored him, Daniel Gafford roamed away from the same side.
The Mavericks shaved a double-digit deficit down to one before Daigneault inserted sharpshooter Isaiah Joe. He drilled a 3 in an instant, sparking the run OKC never looked back at.
Joe is a surefire rotational player whose rotational status is hardly in the balance. But the significance of his role and how it might grow this round is something he’ll be prepared for. With the lineups he’s found success in, especially while sharing the floor with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With the moments he’s been slotted in for Giddey throughout the season.
Look across the board at the players whose roles are further in question — maybe part of the few that Riley wouldn’t trust — and their grapple with availability throughout this season showed Tuesday.
Jaylin Williams has picked up DNPs in games where OKC has leaned into its smaller identity. The two-big lineups between him and Chet Holmgren don’t have a perfect sample size. But with the mixed defensive looks provided in a postseason, Williams’ presence visibly served as a molotov for a confused Dallas defense Tuesday. The ability to crash the glass, to stretch the floor.
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Fans have long clamored for Aaron Wiggins’ rise up the pecking order. For those unfamiliar, his outburst Tuesday appeared like a revelation.
Wiggins poured in 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He drilled big shots, he hunted loose balls, he was as connective as the Venom symbiote. He could likely start for plenty of teams, yet didn’t play Tuesday until the second quarter.
The idea of staying ready, which can be demoralizing, seemingly hasn’t stripped Wiggins of anything. Daigneault’s rotations, while turning away from Wiggins at times in the nature of experimentation, allowed for some of the looks and runs Dallas had no answer for.
“This particular team is deep,” Daigneault said on Wednesday. “If you cut down to seven, you’re not playing (Wiggins) on a given night.”
Shotmaking heals all, and effort isn’t guaranteed. Some nights, Daigneault’s decision will undoubtedly appear more understandable than others. Inserting the right lineups based on what the game dictates can call for split decisions, a single substitution that could alter the night.
On Tuesday, his mind was at ease.
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“I pour over those decisions,” Daigneault said. … There’s nothing we want more than to get those decisions right. We agonize over what decisions to make tactically, with the team and lineups. We’re trying to get to the best thing for the group.”
Far from stubborn, Daigneault isn’t shy to trim down the lengthy list of players he trots out in a dire situation. To turn away from a player an opponent is weaponizing. And the player that likely replaces them, equipped for the situation with a loose rotation, can wreak havoc. That’s what made the Thunder so difficult to deal with this season.
Daigneault will play plenty of players. He’ll opt for whatever niche look the game begs for. He’ll do anything but stand in his own way.
“If at a certain point, playing X amount of guys is the best thing, we’re gonna do it,” Daigneault said. “But we’re also not gonna allow what’s conventional get in the way of what we think is best in the moment.
“No offense to Coach Riley.”
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Game 2: Thunder vs. Mavericks
TIPOFF: 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Paycom Center (ESPN)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder rotations still deep in NBA playoffs for Mark Daigneault
