Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault chimed in on the MVP conversation regarding top candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic ahead of his back-to-back. Despite the potential MVP duel, Thunder guard Alex Caruso is thrilled for the upcoming challenge of facing the reigning Most Valuable Player in Jokic and the 2023 champion Nuggets. However, Daigneault doesn’t consider individual accolades.
The Thunder’s head coach approaches his upcoming back-to-back with team-oriented goals rather than tipping the scale in Gilgeous-Alexander’s favor for this year’s MVP award.
“That might be from the outside, but it’s Thunder and Nuggets from the inside,” Daigneault said. “At least from our standpoint.”
Daigneault refuses to let the outside noise surrounding Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic’s MVP race permeate his team’s mindset ahead of a vital back-to-back against a quality team.
“Every year, there [are] a lot of worthy players for every award. It’s never going to be a year where there’s not four or five people that can make an argument for any of the awards,” Daigneault said. “The awards are decided by other people. It’s outside of everybody’s control, and it’s outside of the team. It’s great when our guys are recognized individually, but that stuff’s happening downstream of team success.
“That’s the reason so many of our guys are being considered for individual accolades. So, that’s where our focus is. Shai’s been an excellent leader in that regard; that’s why we’ve had the collective season we’ve had up to this point,” Daigneault concluded.
Mark Daigneault and the Thunder enter Sunday’s matchup on a six-game winning streak, including eight of their last 10 games. The Nuggets are coming off a 149-141 overtime thriller against the Phoenix Suns, winners of seven of their last 10.
Alex Caruso is thrilled for Thunder’s challenge vs. Nuggets
Thunder veteran guard Alex Caruso commented on MVP implications surrounding his back-to-back against All-Star Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. However, he’s not letting it overshadow the Thunder’s team goals.
Caruso addressed the significance of facing Jokic and the 2023 champion Nuggets this late in the regular season.
“It’s just a good test for us, especially playing a noon game on Sunday. That’s something that the postseason brings that you might have. So, it’s a good opportunity to prepare for that, and then obviously the opponent, playing against such a good player in Jokic and a good team with championship-caliber players in history over the last couple of years,” Caruso said.
The Thunder and the Nuggets will face off Sunday at 1 PM EST.
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