How Mark Daigneault uses Mother Nature to motivate Thunder in championship season

Fresh off an NBA championship, Isaiah Hartenstein has had the chance to run some victory laps. His first year on the Oklahoma City Thunder was a smashing success. He was a key player in their playoff run that ended with a title and ring.

Hartenstein enjoyed a career season with 11.2 points and 10.7 rebounds. Both were the best marks he's averaged after carving out a career from a possible journeyman to one of the better starting centers. Paired with Chet Holmgren, the double-big lineup was often used in the playoffs.

When you win a championship, you can flex your muscles for the rest of the summer. Hartenstein has appeared on various national shows. He was recently on "The Rich Eisen Show" to reflect on his season and his decision to leave the New York Knicks.

One of the topics brought up was Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. In a good mood, Hartenstein revealed an anecdote that he probably shouldn’t have. He said that he'd hilariously drum up motivation from things outside of basketball, such as Mother Nature.

"He is a great coach, but he is like very good crazy in a sense. He would show us sometimes before games and before practices of animals hunting. Kinda like weird stuff like that, where he kinda may come over to a basketball sense," Hartenstein said. "He is a great coach. The way he can motivate, the way he explains the game is very unique. Very stoic in that sense, that gives us confidence too."

That's funny. You seldom see that side of Daigneault in public. So, Hartenstein's reveal of one of his unconventional ways to motivate his team was the highlight of his interview. He's seen as one of the best head coaches in the league and has worked his way from unknown rebuild coach to a household name.

"He kinda instills that, he says it all the time, that 0-0 mentality. We never want to be too high, too low, always want to be in that present moment," Hartenstein said. "His in-game adjustments are great, too. Yeah, he has been one of my favorite coaches to play for so far."

Isaiah Hartenstein said Mark Daigneault would sometimes show them clips of animals hunting their prey before practices/games lmao
pic.twitter.com/Nzqa7nydk8

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) July 3, 2025

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: How Mark Daigneault uses mother nature to motivate Thunder