Ousmane Dieng Showcases Potential in G League Championship
Oklahoma City’s second year wing made strides in the G League this season.
Oklahoma City experienced serious success this season and it’s not over yet. The Thunder raced to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and has a chance to make a big time run with the playoffs ripping off next week. The slew of young talent and a treasure chest of draft picks has been talked about consistently over the course of the season.
The young core has grown on and off the court exponentially and even though the future is now for Oklahoma City, the next five years look as promising as ever. Missing from the young core leading the team to the No. 1 seed this year is Ousmane Dieng, who was taken a pick before Jalen Williams in the 2022 draft. He might not have been leading the Thunder, but his development in the G League hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The future is still bright for the 6-foot-10 wing, and he has showcased his potential on multiple occasions this season. None of the flashes were as obvious as Monday night though, where he led the OKC Blue to a G League Finals championship. The newly crowned Finals MVP could still have a major impact for the Thunder down the road.
He totaled 25 points on 9-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Dieng also added six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. He made the game look easy, converging on everything from open looks to step back triples. What he’s able to do at his size is truly impressive, and he can be a useful player for the Thunder with more time for development.
In 26 games with the Blue this season, he averaged 17.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. He shot 48.2% from the floor and was a +8.8 for the team. He started to really impact winning and settle into his role.
Oklahoma City won without Dieng's services this season, but in the future he could help the Thunder win. His size and length fits in perfectly with this team, and if he can continue to knock down 3-pointers at an efficient rate, he'll find his way onto the court. The G League Championship was another display of his high ceiling.
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