Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said that his club is not looking for sympathy despite all of its key injuries.
The Thunder have likely lost Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for the season and Chet Holmgren for the next few months. Any team in the NBA that loses three of its starters deserves a bit of sympathy, but Daigneault doesn’t want anyone feeling bad for the Thunder.
Mark Daigneault Comments on Team’s Brutal Rash of Injuries
Speaking to Thunder reporter Clemente Almanza, Daigneault made it clear that Oklahoma City is not looking for anyone to feel sympathy for them.
“We understand the challenge in front of us. Obviously, our circumstances have changed significantly in a week, so kinda reframes the challenge. But sympathy doesn’t help you compete. Excuses don’t help you compete,” Daigneault said.
Thunder Starting to Struggle
After beginning the season with four straight wins in a row, the Thunder have dropped their last two games as the team is starting to struggle.
While losing to the Houston Rockets is not a bad loss, as the Rockets are one of the NBA’s best teams, the Thunder’s loss last week to the Dallas Mavericks was a surprising one, and one that shows how much of a tough spot this team is in right now after losing three of their starting rotation players to injury.
The good news for Oklahoma City is that they are still a very deep squad that has the two-time NBA MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, and anytime you have someone like SGA on your team, you have a chance to win.
But as the months go on, these injuries are really going to start showing, as the Thunder’s depth will get tested if their starters like SGA begin to play heavy minutes to make up for all of their key injuries.
The Thunder could surely use some of their lesser players, such as recent two-way pickup Micah Peavy, to become unsung heroes for the team, as they need everyone to step up and contribute in a big way with all their injuries.
Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault Not Looking for Sympathy