Could Ousmane Dieng make a leap and win Most Improved Player?

The Bucks forward is still just 23 years old and demonstrated legitimate growth when he finally got playing time

Ousmane Dieng was acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks as essentially a free flier, and impressed in his opportunities down the stretch in Milwaukee.

The Bucks clearly liked Dieng’s tape given they signed him to a three-year, $17.5 million contract this summer. The organization and fanbase aren’t the only ones who came away impressed though.

The Ringer podcaster and analyst Zach Lowe named Dieng an under-the-radar pick for Most Improved Player next season and said he could see Dieng averaging 16 points per game in a breakout campaign.

That’d be a significant jump — even though he started for 20 of his 30 games in Milwaukee, Dieng averaged just 11 points per game as a Buck. It was a huge jump from Dieng’s reserve role in Oklahoma City, but another jump will be necessary for him to be a legit Most Improved candidate.

The easiest path to get there for Dieng is pretty simple: he needs his silky jumper to look as good on paper as it does in action. Dieng took and hit some truly audacious shots in Milwaukee, including a 36-point masterclass against Houston, but wasn’t an efficient scorer overall.

Dieng converted just 42.3% of his field goals and 33.1% of his threes as a Buck, continuing a trend of inefficient shooting dating back to his Thunder days. Reserving that trend will be key to Dieng continuing to be a regular NBA rotation player, much less winning any awards.

Getting to the basket more often would be a big help to Dieng’s field goal percentage too. He tends to rely a ton on tough jumpers, which are always going to be less efficient looks than getting to the rim. Dieng shot a solid 65% on attempts in the restricted area, but attempted more mid-range jumpers than shots at the rim last season.

The good news is that trend changed as his Bucks tenure went on: Dieng took 3.9 shots per game in the restricted area in April as opposed to 2.6 mid-range jumpers. Continuing to take shots he converts at a 60% clip will obviously have a significant impact on Dieng’s overall shot efficiency so he can score more buckets.

It’s unfortunate that Dieng suffered a brutal three-point shooting slump in April, as if he continued to knock those shots down he would’ve had an incredible statistical month. Dieng averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game despite shooting just 18.4% from three in those seven April games. Getting to the basket and playing more minutes meant even without his three-ball firing Dieng could post some gaudy stats.

The good news is Dieng’s feel and confidence suggest he should be a better scorer, and the Bucks should foster a better offensive environment for him next season.

The Post-Giannis Era Opportunity

That may sound ludicrous given Milwaukee lost Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Dieng didn’t really reap the benefits of playing with Giannis. The two only shared the floor for five games and the team didn’t play well in those minutes.

Between Tyler Herro and the other players coming back in the Giannis trade and upgrading the coaching staff significantly with the addition of Taylor Jenkins, Milwaukee should be better offensively than the slog that was the second half of last season. It’d be hard to be much worse – the Bucks were 26th in offensive rating after the All-Star Break.

The other necessary element for a breakout season is opportunity. For all the players the Bucks brought in, forward is the weakest spot on the roster. Kyle Kuzma and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are in line for significant roles, but either could be on the move given their contracts expire after the season.

Beyond those two, Dieng should slot into the rotation ahead of similarly lanky rookies Nate Ament and Bogoljub Markovic, neither of whom appear ready for a significant role from day one.

Pete Nance and Caris LeVert are the other forwards currently on the Bucks roster, but one or both may well be traded or released ahead of the season as Milwaukee must cut the roster down to 15 standard contracts.

If Dieng really takes a step forward, the minutes and touches will be there. His best games have been star-level, but come too far and few between. Building on the flashes he showed in his first Bucks season and finding consistency in his jumper could lead to a legitimate Ousmane Dieng breakout, which would change the trajectory of this Bucks rebuild fast.

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