OKLAHOMA CITY –
The Oklahoma City Thunder collected a sweep of the league’s early-season hardware on Monday, as the NBA announced its Defensive Players of the Month and Coaches of the Month awards for October and November.
Cason Wallace Earns First Career Defensive Player of the Month
Rookie guard Cason Wallace was named the Kia NBA Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month, the league announced. According to the NBA’s release, Wallace opened the season as the league leader in steals at 2.2 per game, while his 4.0 deflections per contest lead all players in the West.
Wallace’s impact is a major reason Oklahoma City sits atop the NBA in defensive rating at 103.6, helping set the tone for a Thunder team off to one of the most dominant starts in league history. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes won the Eastern Conference honor.
Mark Daigneault Named Western Conference Coach of the Month
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was named NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month after guiding Oklahoma City to a league-best 20–1 record, including a 12-game winning streak to close November. The NBA cited OKC’s overwhelming performance on both ends, as the Thunder are outscoring opponents by an average of +15.5 points per game — a pace better than last year’s franchise-record +12.9 mark.
Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff earned the award in the Eastern Conference.