OKLAHOMA CITY — Amid Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams' two-week set back in his recovery, coach Mark Daigneault teased that more playing time for rookie Brooks Barnhizer could be on the horizon. The second-round pick earned playing time off an impressive showing throughout training camp and preseason. In the first five games of his NBA career, Barnhizer is averaging 8.2 minutes per game.
However, his immediate impact for the Thunder isn't always reflected on the box score, but Daigneault sees something in Barnhizer that he admits is often a hurdle for some NBA rookies.
“The biggest thing that he's done is come in with the right approach, attitude, work ethic, and competitive level — that's the thing that stands out,” Daigneault said. “Some guys, when they come into the NBA, they have to learn the level of competition that the game requires, and doesn't have to learn that. He has to learn a lot but that's not one of the things he has to learn. That's been impressive — it's been great.”
A step ahead of the curve, Barnhizer earned Daigneault's trust from the outset amid injuries to key players in the frontcourt, such as Williams, Chet Holmgren, who's missed the Thunder's previous two games, and Kenrich Williams.
“We’ve obviously 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, specifically positioned us to be able to put him in games.”
Mark Daigneault on Brooks Barnhizer’s increased role:
“We’ve obviously 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/4MffyY8jxv
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) November 1, 2025
Barnhizer's defense has been his path to consistent playing time, which peaked in a double-overtime win against the Indiana Pacers, where Brooks finished with two points and three rebounds in 14 minutes.
Mark Daigneault, Thunder lead on team's depth amid perfect start
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault commended his team's mental toughness after erasing a double-digit deficit in the second half of its 107-101 win against the Kings. For Daigneault, watching the Thunder make the necessary adjustments needed to compete a comeback is a tremendous sign of growth for a shothanded defending champion, missing All-Star Jalen Williams throughout, and Chet Holmgren for two consecutive games.
“The biggest thing is exposing the guys to the different situations and encouraging some critical thinking in different ways, whether that's in practice or in film, because ultimately, there [aren't] enough timeouts to make every decision,” Daigneault said. “So, it's about preparing the team to think on the fly.
“Recognize the patterns and recognize situations, and this team has been in that process now for a long time, and we've been in a lot of those games, and we've handled those things well.”
The Thunder will look to go for a 7-0 start to the season when it hosts the Pelicans on Sunday.
