Mark Daigneault made a meteoric rise from an assistant on Billy Donovan’s staff at the University of Florida to being a head coach at the All-Star Game. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater takes a deep dive into the Thunder coach’s career, noting that his former boss is proud of his accomplishments.
“It’s crazy how life works,” Donovan said. “I remember when he was sitting there, and we were having camp (at Florida), and he’s waiting to meet me. He’s 24, 25 years old, just wants a job, and he’s willing to work for free. And if you just said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be an NBA head coach and coaching the All-Star game.’ Nobody would’ve believed that, right? So, I just think it speaks to him and the people in Oklahoma City and the players and his staff. I’m just really happy for him because he’s a great guy.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Anthony Edwards has improved his 3-point shot this season and now he’s using that threat to make him even more effective driving to the basket, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes. After averaging 2.4 free-throw attempts per game in December, he took an average of 8.1 free throws in January and 11 per game in February. The Timberwolves star averaged just 20.5 points in December and pushed that figure to 30.3 in January. In six February games, he’s averaging 34.3 points.
- Toumani Camara was included in a three-team blockbuster in 2023, moving from Phoenix to Portland. during his rookie season. He never got a chance to play for the Suns but he feels he would have thrived there, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Camara is averaging 10.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in his second season with the Trail Blazers. “I feel like the month I spent in Phoenix, a lot of people appreciated my game and stuff like that. I was pretty confident in the space and environment I was in. I feel like the month I spent in Phoenix, a lot of people appreciated my game and stuff like that. I was pretty confident in the space and environment I was in,” he said.
- Camara and Scoot Henderson have become the best of friends, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic, and they have lofty goals. “Me and Tou, we have told each other: ‘We are going to do this. We are going to be great together … and we are going to do it here, in Portland,’” Henderson said. “We haven’t told anyone, but we have those conversations.” Henderson, the No. 3 pick of 2023 draft, has mainly come off the bench this season. He’s averaging 12.4 points and 5.3 assists in 26.5 minutes.