OKC Thunder: Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski Could Battle for Minutes

Oklahoma City’s two lengthy backup forwards could be vying for the same spot come season start.

With the impending additions of No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren, 2023 lottery pick Cason Wallace and international guard Vasilije Micic, there’s little question that the Thunder are set to be better next season.

That means even more talented players will be battling for impactful minutes. Upcoming second-year Jaylin Williams emerged as a strong forward-center option last season, but will likely be relegated to backup minutes as Holmgren earns the bulk of the starting center minutes this season.

With Williams eating a chunk of minutes among the backups, that means Aleksej Pokusevski and Ousmane Dieng could very well be battling it out for the same impactful slot among the next five.

Pokusevski, drafted at No. 17 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, will be entering his fourth season in the league. At 7-foot, Pokusevski provides length and some legitimate blossoming rim protection. His shooting splits have yet to be consistent in his tenure in the NBA, but his last season he was showing real progressions pre-injury.

Last season, Pokusekvsi averaged 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in around 20 minutes per game.

Dieng was drafted at No. 11 overall in the 2022 draft, spending time with both the Thunder and the Blue in year one. At 6-foot-11, he’s much more mobile, providing less traditional rim protection but more fluid scoring, defense and shooting.

Both provide different looks for a variety of Thunder lineups. But there’s a decent chance only one gets the bulk of minutes on a nightly basis. Especially if OKC is looking to win games in a grueling Western Conference.

Of course, based on Oklahoma City’s previous season, there’s a decent chance they’ll be interchangeable from night to night. But success from either could help to insert themself into the lineup for the foreseeable future.

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