Stiles Points: Ousmane Dieng's Development Shines With Loud Box Score

Oklahoma City Thunder ran the Milwaukee Bucks out of the Paycom Center on Monday, in a game where Ousmane Dieng earned first-quarter minutes.

In this Bucks bout, the No. 11 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft turned in 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal - including 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

"Tonight was a byproduct of that body of work [With the OKC Blue]. He's capable of nights like this. We've seen him do that before, but he deserves a lot of credit for the track that it took to get him there," Daigneault said of the Thunder swingman postgame.

The Thunder bench boss gave Dieng credit for taking his G League assignment in stride, a rarity for a third-year NBAer. That willingness and mindset have clearly made the 21-year-old a better player.

This outing came on the heels a four-game stretch between Jan. 17 and 26 which saw Dieng post 6.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 60 percent from the floor, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 100 percent at the charity stripe.

That stint featured a 12 point night against the Brooklyn Nets in a lopsided affair.

While the Nets tilt and Bucks blowout produced loud box scores, it stems from repeatable acts for the former lottery pick.

In this game against the Milwaukee-Bucks-in-name-only, Dieng threw down a transition dunk via an outlet pass from Isaiah Hartenstein, weaved through traffic for a flush at the rim through contact and nailed a side step off the dribble triple.

Coupling those highlights with his ever-improving cutting ability and NBA-ready defensive skill set shows the potential for the swingman to contribute to the Thunder in the future - or at a minimum proves there is still some exploring left to do.

Stiles Points

Isaiah Hartenstein was able to collect 12 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action as he dominated the glass and kept the Thunder in control.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was electrifying as a scorer with the Bucks providing no resistance at the rim. The OKC Thunder superstar posted 30 points by intermission and finished with 34 points, three rebounds, and six assists on 79 percent shooting from the floor, 2-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc and 2-for-3 at the free throw line. A full day's stat-line for half a day's work as Gilgeous-Alexander logged just 23 minutes.
Lu Dort went 4-for-4 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from 3-point land for a quick 12 points en route to a 21-minute outing during the Thunder's blowout win.
The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a trade with the Hornets on Monday night centered around a couple of second-round picks.

Song of the Day: Stella Blue by Grateful Dead.

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