The Thunder have plenty of options for Mark Daigneault to choose from.
May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault instructs players in game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Oklahoma City is yet to lose in the postseason, and its depth has shined, but that may change a bit once the conference finals begin.to begin the playoffs, the Thunder were able to take care of business despite not having Jalen Williams since Game 2 of the first round. Without Williams around, the Thunder still managed to get contributions from the players around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as the MVP dealt with doubles and other aggressive coverages from LA throughout the matchup.
While Ajay Mitchell was the breakout star of the second round, several other Thunder players made some important contributions throughout the series. From Jared McCain’s incredible 3-point shooting to Alex Caruso’s intensity, it seemed as if every Thunder player on the floor was able to make a positive impact at some point in the four-game sweep.
Of course, with Williams potentially returning for the start of the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder might need to begin shortening their rotation a bit.will need to put their best lineups on the floor for a full 48 minutes compared to the regular-season-like approach in the first two rounds against mediocre competition. Including the two games from Williams, 11 Thunder players have played key minutes for Oklahoma City during the postseason.
Add in guys like Aaron Wiggins and Kenrich Williams who are always potential contributors, and the Thunder have 13 guys who could be impact players. As the stakes get higher and the competition heats up, Mark Daigneault will be tasked with changing up his rotation. During the 2025 playoffs, there weren’t many major tweaks from the Thunder’s head coach as he shortened the rotation, but role players like Caruso saw their minutes jump as the games got more intense.
With the Thunder’s starters also likely to see an increase in minutes for the biggest games, there will simply be less playing time to go around for the reserves. Yet, that’s still where the Thunder’s depth is a clear strength. There isn’t necessarily a reason to shorten the rotation based on who the best players are on paper. Instead, Daigneault can simply make his decisions based on the matchups.
While there’s still no guarantee that the Thunder will shorten the rotation in the conference finals and beyond, it seems likely that Daigneault will be ready to make the appropriate adjustments when his team is up against the wall. Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered the OKC Thunder since 2022 and covers OSU athletics for The O’Colly. Is Jalen Williams Playing Tonight?
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