Stiles Points: Ousmane Dieng Stepping Up For OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are leaning on Ousmane Dieng to play center minutes early in the 2024-25 campaign, and he has stepped up to the challenge.

Oct 17, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng (13) dribbles the ball down the court against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Good things come to those that wait and the Oklahoma City Thunder have waited for Ousmane Dieng to develop since selecting him in the lottery of the 2022 NBA Draft. From the word go, Dieng was a young project player with guard like skills in a forward's body and at the time, the Thunder seemed to have all the time in the world.

Quickly, expectations have climb to that of championship contention by the time Dieng's third year in the league rolled around. With little NBA production to the start of his junior season, plenty of questions surronded Dieng and it was easy to wonder if the team had passed by the project forward as it did many other players along the way.

Though, Dieng was making steady progress, in the shadows of the NBA G League which Thunder on SI tracked the entire way.

Everything came to a head to start the 2024-25 season, with the Thunder picked to win the West and contend for a title they had a run of poor injury luck in the preseason. Losing Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams for extended periods of time.

This left Oklahoma City without a back up center and Dieng was a massive opportunity to hook on with the NBA club who is forced to lean on the 6-foot-9 forward as their primary back up five.

No, the box scores have not been flashy but the improvement is there. Dieng is playing his best basketball. The 21-year-old is playing without hesitation with a more decisive and forceful approach.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault highlighted this prior to tip off of Sunday's game with the Atlanta Hawks when asked by Thunder on SI about the young forward.

"Pretty good, not surprised though. He has just made steady improvement," Daigneault said "Everybody's developmental path is different. He came in as the youngest guy in his draft class and the amount of development that he required, especially physically, was a lot. It just took him longer than other guys, yet he has made steady progress and checked all the boxes. You are seeing it now."

Daigneault continued to highlight what does not show up in the box score and how Dieng is doing this at an unnatural position.

"You are seeing it now. He is not doing anything that is popping but he is being reliable. He is playing the five. I have said it over and over again, he is a perimeter player. He played the one in Australia so he is definitively not used to doing this, but he is standing in there. He is doing these against big guys," the Thunder bench boss added.

Putting a body on guys down low, making the right rotations and reading the floor well on offense doesn't get you in the stat sheet but it does produce wins which is what Dieng is helping the Thunder do right now.

While it doesn’t scream at you in the box score Ousmane Dieng has gotten much better
🏀 Putting a body on guys
🏀 Making the right reads/no hesitation
🏀 The defense has been stellar especially for playing the five
I used text to describe improvements:
pic.twitter.com/dsN2CCc0WJ

— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 28, 2024

Stiles Points

• Why are the OKC Thunder shooting more triples? To prepare for the playoffs.
• Tim Legler put the Thunder in the same level as the Boston Celtics, which is high praise from a resepcted media member and former player.
• The Thunder could be a historically great team if this level of play keeps up.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren were nominated for the Western Conference Player of the Week honor but were edged out by Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis.

Song of the Day: Don't Stop Believing by Journey

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