Marc Daigneault hints at an increased role for OKC’s rookie due to the failure of Jalen Williams

OKLAHOMA CITY — Amid Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jaylen Williams is recovering from two weeks backcoach Mark Daigneault teased that more playing time for rookie Brooks Barnheiser could be on the horizon. The second-round pick produced impressive results during training camp and the preseason. In the first five games of his NBA career, Barnheiser averaged 8.2 minutes per game.

However, his immediate impact on the Thunder isn’t always reflected in the box score, but Daigneault see something in Barnheiser, which he admits is often an obstacle for some NBA rookies.

“The biggest thing he’s done is come in with the right attitude, attitude, work ethic and competitive level — that’s what stands out,” Daigneault said. “Some guys, when they come to the NBA, they have to learn the level of competition that the game demands, and they don’t have to learn that. He has to learn a lot, but that’s not one of the things he has to learn. That was impressive — it was great.”

A step ahead of the curve, Barnheiser earned Daigneault’s trust from the start amid injuries to key frontcourt players such as Williams, Chet Holmgren, who missed the Thunder’s previous two games, and Kenrich Williams.

“Obviously we’ve had some injuries to rotation players, and that’s never great, but the silver lining to that is the opportunities you can give other people,” Daigneault added. “The minutes we were able to get him in the preseason really positioned us to be able to put him in games.”

Marc Daigneault on Brooks Barnheiser’s increased role:

“Obviously we’ve had some injuries to rotation players and that’s never great, but the silver lining to that is the opportunities you can give other people.

“The minutes we were able to get him in the preseason, … pic.twitter.com/4MffiI8jkv

— Joshua Pavon (@joe_svai) November 1, 2025

Barnheiser’s defense was his path to consistent playing time, which culminated in a double-overtime win against the Indiana Pacers, where Brooks finished with two points and three rebounds in 14 minutes.

Marc Daigneault, Thunder lead the team in depth amid a perfect start

Thunder head coach Marc Daigneault praised the mental toughness of his team after erasing a double-digit deficit in the second half of their 107-101 win against the Kings. For Daigneault, watching the Thunder make the necessary adjustments needed to compete with a comeback is a huge sign of growth for the defending champion with a shot, who has been missing All-Stars Jaylen Williams and Chet Holmgren in two straight games.

“The biggest thing is to expose guys to different situations and encourage critical thinking in different ways, whether it’s in practice or on film, because ultimately (there’s) not enough time to make every decision,” Daigneault said. “So it’s about preparing the team to think on the fly.”

“Recognize patterns and recognize situations, and this team has been in that process for a long time, and we’ve been in a lot of those games and handled those things well.”

The Thunder will look to start the season at 7-0 when they host the Pelicans on Sunday.