THUNDER JOURNAL
Daigneault announces Thunder coaching staff
First- year Thunder coach Mark Daigneault has his staff in place.
Mike Wilks, David Akinyooye and Dave Bliss will all return as Thunder assistant coaches, Daigneault announced Wednesday. Former Knicks interim head coach Mike Miller has also been hired as an assistant.
Joining them on the bench as player development coaches will be Zach Peterson and Kameron Woods.
“This group has proven to be great collaborators during their time with the Thunder, complementing their ability to help develop our team and players,” Daigneault said in a statement. “They all share a deep commitment and understanding for the values of the organization and are dedicated to being continuous learners.
“I'm looking forward to welcoming Mike to the Thunder and our coaching staff as we work to maximize our team and program.”
Miller is the only newcomer to the organization. Wilks, Akinyooye and Bliss are all set to enter their second season as Thunder assistants.
Daigneault will have four assistant coaches, down from the seven assistants Billy Donovan had on his staff. Maurice Cheeks, Brian Keefe and Vin Bhavnani will not return as Thunder assistants. Cheeks joined Donovan's staff in Chicago.
Wilks, a former NBA guard who played four games for the Thunder in 2009, spent seven seasons as a Thunder scout before joining the coaching staff.
Akinyooye was a fouryear assistant with the G League Oklahoma City Blue before joining the Thunder. He was previously an assistant coach in France and he also worked as a player development coach with the Spurs.
Bliss was a video analyst/player development coach with the Thunder from 2010-15. He went on to spend three seasons as a player development coach with the Knicks before returning to Oklahoma City in 2018.
Miller will be Daigneault's most experienced assistant.
Miller spent 13 years as a college head coach at Texas State (1994-2000) and Eastern Illinois (200512). He was hired in 2015 to coach the G League Westchester Knicks. Miller was named G League Coach of the Year in 2018.
The New York Knicks hired Miller as an assistant coach prior to last season. He was named interim head coach in December after David Fizdale was fired. The Knicks went 17-27 under Miller.
Peterson spent last season as a player development coach with the Thunder, but now he'll have a spot on the bench. Peterson previously worked as a video coordinator for the Bucks and Hawks.
Woods will move across the street from the Blue to the Thunder. He spent the last two seasons as a Blue assistant, and Woods previously played for the Blue for two seasons. He graduated from Butler in 2015 as the second-leading rebounder in program history.
Jackson signs with Thunder
Former Pelicans point guard Frank Jackson has agreed to a deal with the Thunder, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
Jackson, the 31st pick in the 2017 draft, averaged 7.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in his first two NBA seasons. He's a career 31.9% 3- point shooter.
After averaging 19.2 minutes per game as a rookie, Jackson's playing time dipped to 13.5 minutes per game last season. He scored a career-high 31 points in New Orleans' final game of the regular season.
Jackson was a McDonald's All-American at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah. He played one year at Duke before declaring for the NBA draft.
Jackson becomes the 21st Thunder player under contract for next season. That number will begin to shrink with training camp a week away. Teams can have 15 players on their roster, plus two players signed to two- way contracts.
Jackson will join former teammates Darius Miller, Kenrich Williams, Zylan Cheatham and Josh Gray in Oklahoma City. The latter four were acquired from the Pelicans in the Steven Adams trade.
Thunder roster
Guards: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Josh Gray, George Hill, Frank Jackson, Ty Jerome, Theo Maledon
Wings: Trevor Ariza, Hamidou Diallo, Justin Jackson, Darius Miller
Forwards: Darius Bazley, Zylan Cheatham, T.J. Leaf, Aleksej Pokusevski, Isaiah Roby, Admiral Schofield, Kenrich Williams
Centers: Al Horford, Mike Muscala, Vincent Poirier