Ousmane Dieng's Connecting Ability On Display in Preseason Opener

Oklahoma City's forgotten rookie from the 2022 haul could play a big role this season.

Ousmane Dieng's final statline from Oklahoma City's exhibition didn't jump off the page. He didn't wow fans with his highlight plays or large point totals. But this season, he doesn't need to. He just needs to play his role.

The 6-foot-9 small forward got a heavy dose of playing time to open up Oklahoma City's preseason action and played his role to a T. Dieng added nine points, nine rebounds, three assists and one block. He had his hand in so many plays and didn't need the ball to make things happen. He started fast breaks, finished at the rim, passed to the assister and so much more.

Between the G League and a few unfortunate injuries, Dieng played in just 39 games a season ago. He put up promising stats for the Oklahoma City Blue, and showed his potential on multiple occasions when he was called up to the Thunder.

The real eye opener, however, was this summer. The light came on and Dieng took a big leap. The forward tallied an efficient 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, four assists and one steal per game while shooting 50% from the floor and over 35% from 3-point range. He had multiple huge scoring outputs and demonstrated much needed consistency on the court.

This season, Oklahoma City has star talent at multiple positions. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will obviously demand a high volume of shots, and the team's rising youngsters will score in numbers, too. For Dieng, this season is about fitting in, taking the open looks and playing a connecting role on the floor.

If Dieng can slide in at multiple positions and play efficient basketball, he will carve out minutes on a crowded Thunder roster. His size and fluidity could be a huge plus if he can mesh with the team's young core. Dieng can really help the Thunder in transition and his length will be massive on the defensive side of the floor.

If Monday night was any indication, Dieng is certainly on the right track.

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