Ousmane Dieng Should See Minutes vs Memphis

The Oklahoma City Thunder should be able to get Ousmane Dieng minutes against Memphis, and his play in the G League warrants it.

On Friday, the Oklahoma City Thunder called up 2022 Lottery pick Ousmane Dieng from the NBA G League. Down with the OKC Blue, Dieng has continued to progress at a high level. From his added muscle, physical rim finishes to under-control playmaking and versatile defense the NBL product has checked a lot of boxes in year two.

While his overall shooting numbers (28% from beyond the arc) are not up to code just yet, over the last four games even that has improved seeing the Sophomore score at a much more efficient clip. 

In the G League Dieng is averaging 15.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 stocks and 4.8 assists per game. Posting a point per possession in isolation, 1.087 points per possession as a pick-and-roll man, 1.273 points per possession on cuts, and ranking in the 86th percentile defensively. 

Dieng has not seen NBA action since Feb. 13 in Orlando, and Sunday marks a perfect time to work him back into the rotation against a lowly (and banged up) Memphis Grizzlies. 

While this will likely be a short lived call up as Dieng projects to finish out the G League season once the Blue are back in action for the home stretch, it is deserved NBA reps that could be vital for his development moving forward. 

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