2024-25 Atlanta Hawks Roster Preview: Mouhamed Gueye

Injuries kept Gueye from showing off his potential in Year 1. Can Gueye can develop into an impactful backup big man in 2024-25?

Apr 10, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) tries to shoot over Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Age:  22 (2nd season)

Height, Weight: 6'10, 210 lbs

2023-24 Averages:  4.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 1.4 stocks on 34.8%/33.3%/83.3% splits (6 games)

Career Averages: same as above

Mo Gueye's season went about how you'd expect for a second round pick. After being taken with the 39th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Gueye was not expected to be much of a contributor for the Hawks in Year 1. However, he has a good chance to cement his role as a valued part of the roster in Year 2.

Gueye has a freakishly long 7'3 wingspan. He definitely knows how to use it on the boards, showing some promise as a NBA-level rebounder at Washington State University. He also had a surprisingly good AST/USG ratio of 0.54 in college, indicating that he could become somewhat of a functional passer at the NBA level. The Hawks also probably took note of his solid 67.4% from the free-throw line as some evidence that a solid shooting stroke in college could translate at the next level. Still, given that Gueye was himself relatively new to basketball, the Hawks knew this was a player that needed time to become the best version of himself.

His first year in the NBA was full of ups and downs. He missed four months of the season with a stress fracture in his lower back, but returned in January with the College Park Skyhawks. After working himself back into shape, he got extended run in the last three games of the season. It was the first glimpse of what he could do in a real role and the results were fairly positive.

His best game of the year was a 19 pt, 9 rebound, 3 block (5 stocks) effort against the Pacers in the final game of the year. He also hit two of his three attempts from deep. Still, it was more of a culmination of three solid games of play from Gueye. Whenever he's gotten time at the NBA level, there are two parts of his game that show legitimate promise.

The first is his ability as an offensive rebounder. 10 of the 22 rebounds he grabbed were on the offensive end and he looked comfortable with NBA size. If the Hawks do make the change at starting center from Clint Capela to Onyeka Okongwu in 2024-25, rebounding is going to be somewhat of a question mark for the team. I think this is an area where Gueye can help. He's athletic and has a plus wingspan. In the minutes he gets, he should be a force on the boards that gives bench offenses tons of chances.

The second - and arguably the more exciting - is what he can do as a defender. His athleticism, reflexes and energy give him such a high margin for error on that end of the floor. He is not the most polished defender, showing some propensity for fouls and missing defensive assignments, but he's already shown a lot of growth in his young career. I would expect those things to get better as he gains more experience.

As a shooter, he is definitely interesting. I am less sure about how real his shot is, but I did notice that he has a quick trigger and generally good form. His per-100 possesion numbers suggest he can be a 33.3% shooter on six attempts a game. I would be shocked if he gets that type of three-point volume, but if he can post something like 35% on 2 attempts a game from deep, that would be a very positive sign for his development as a shooter.

During Summer League, Gueye got more run than he normally would in the regular season across the three games that he played. He missed two with injuries, but looked relatively similar to what he showed last year. His shooting numbers did not show a dramatic increase from Year 1 - he hit 28.6% of his threes on five attempts a game. Summer League is admittedly not the best environment to evaluate big men, but he was fine in the games that he did play.

Overall, I think it'll be interesting to see whether the Hawks play Gueye as a wing or a center. Personally, I believe it would be better for him to play at center. At the moment, the shooting numbers are a little too low to justify him being on the wing. He has the size to match up with most centers and can still surprise the defense with the ocassional three-pointer. He can also serve as a play finisher for the primary ball handler in the lineup, whether that's Trae Young or someone else.

Best-Case Scenario: Gueye's shooting numbers improve to slightly below league-average and he develops into an impactful defender in the 10-15 minutes he gets during a game. He stakes his claim to being a backup center and the emergency backup for Jalen Johnson in case of injury.

Worst-Case Scenario: Gueye is once again injured and struggles to show development from Year 1. His roster spot is in question heading into Year 3 due to the lack of playing time.