Thunder’s Ousmane Dieng Looks To Join Josh Giddey As Next NBL Prospect To Thrive In NBA

French rookie Ousmane Dieng has the opportunity to follow in the unique footsteps of some of the top young guards in the NBA.

After spending one season in the NBL, the 19-year-old was selected No. 11 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti was so high on Dieng that he was willing to send three future first-round picks to the New York Knicks to acquire him.

“You’re going to have to take some risks in my opinion in the draft,” Presti told me. “Especially for us with how the CBA is designed. I thought that was a pretty good bet because you don’t see that type of player very often.”

Dieng participated in the NBL’s Next Stars program, which has produced some of the top young prospects in the NBA over the past few years. In fact, in the two years prior to the 2022 NBA Draft, the program saw RJ Hampton, LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey all hear their names called in the first round. Next Stars was built as a player development program to fast track future NBA prospects.

What’s interesting is that a former Thunder draft pick was a huge stepping stone to this program being put together. Terrance Ferguson spent one season with the Adelaide 36ers before being selected No. 21 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by Oklahoma City. Allowing players to take this unique path to the NBA was something the NBL wanted to formalize and make more common. The season after Ferguson was drafted, this program was put in place.

Players like Dieng are hand-picked by a panel of experts to be appointed by the NBL. He spent one season with the Sky Sport New Zealand Breakers, where he had an up-and-down season.

During the first 11 games of the NBL season, the 6-foot-10 wing posted averages of 4.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He was extremely inefficient as he adjusted to the style of play against adults, shooting just 24.6% from the floor and 15.4% from beyond the arc.

From there, Dieng started to figure things out. Over his next 11 games, he produced 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists while converting on 48.4% of his shots from the field and 35.7% of his 3-point attempts.

You could argue the time it took for Dieng to hit his stride was circumstantial. He moved to a completely new country at just 18 to play professionally against some of the best players in the world outside of the NBA.

Due to the pandemic and a COVID outbreak on the team, Dieng and the Breakers were forced to reside and play in Australia for the first half of the season. The young wing was living out of hotels while trying to adapt to playing in this new league.

Not only was he having to adapt on the court, but also off the court culturally.

This improvement later in the season is the primary reason he ultimately rose up draft boards. He also boasted a 7-foot-1 wingspan and defensive disruptiveness that projected to translate well in the NBA on the defensive end.

With that in mind, Presti has been keeping an eye on Dieng for several years.

The first time Presti and the Thunder’s scouting group saw him play in person was when Dieng was almost four years ago at INSEP, a French training institute and center that trains rising athletes. At the time, the French phenom was a 16-year-old guard that stood at 6-foot-3.

Presti mentioned that through the years he had met with several of Dieng’s teammates, who always spoke very highly of his work ethic.

Since the Thunder got their first look at Dieng, he’s grown nearly eight inches but kept the guard skills. This makes him a unique prospect that is still raw, but has the tools to develop into a special player.

“He’s just got really good feel. He’s graceful with the ball,” the Thunder GM told said. “He can get himself in positions physically that most guys his size can’t. He can play off the dribble with that size, which is really unique. He’s got a really good feel with the ball in his hands.”

Dieng got his first opportunity to play in a Thunder uniform earlier this month in NBA Summer League.

In his first game in Salt Lake City, he posted 10 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. It wasn’t the most efficient performance, but the versatility and playmaking shined bright. In his next two games in Utah, he produced a combined total of just six points and seven rebounds. Again, he struggled shooting the ball and was prone to turnovers, but the upside popped.

When the team traveled to Las Vegas for its second summer league event, the stage got even bigger for the young wing. In the Thunder’s opening contest, he scored 10 points to go along with six rebounds but went 0-for-5 from beyond arc and was once again inefficient.

After resting in Oklahoma City’s second game in Las Vegas, Dieng put together his best game yet.

On Wednesday night, he was one of the Thunder’s most impactful players in the win, getting the start and producing 12 points and seven rebounds while shooting 62.5% from the floor and 50% from deep. It was by far his most efficient contest of the summer as he made a huge stride.

“In terms of inserting himself into the game, he’s got great size and such good feel,” said Thunder summer league coach Kam Woods postgame. “He’s done a great job of just being assertive. It showed tonight and I think he’s been building up to a performance like this for a while now.”

Resting in the second game at the Las Vegas event shouldn’t be surprising, and is something that should be expected. Making the jump from the NBL to the NBA is a huge physical adjustment for a young player.

Even last season, this is something Giddey had to work through during his rookie year.

In talking to Giddey and the advice he’s been giving his fellow NBL prospect, that’s one thing he’s been vocal about. The NBL is one of the best leagues in the world and is great experience in playing against grown men, but playing a full 82-game season is quite the jump.

Giddey has given high praise to Dieng throughout the summer and truly enjoys playing alongside him.

“He’s been great,” said Giddey in Las Vegas. “I watched him a lot in the NBL last year. He’s raw. He’s a big big guy that can handle the ball and is a great shot creator. He’s a smooth player. I love his game and I love playing with him. He makes my job a lot easier on the floor.”

Dieng is certainly a project and likely wont be a highly impactful player as a rookie. He’ll take time to continue to develop, but should be well worth the wait. He’s best on-ball despite being 6-foot-10. Dieng has the ability to create his own shot and also facilitate and make plays for his teammates.

There’s a good chance he’ll play quite a bit in the G League for the OKC Blue next season, but was still taken in the lottery due to his longterm potential. Additionally, he projects to be a versatile defender that can guard multiple positions at a high level.

“I think I’m pretty versatile. I can do whatever the coaches want me to do,” said the French wing when asked to describe his game.

It might be several years before he’s a quality piece in the NBA, but that should align great with Oklahoma City’s timeline for contention. He’s got plenty of time to develop in the Thunder system and could one day be a starter when they’re back in the playoffs.

Paying three first rounders for a guy like Dieng appears risky on the surface, but it could pay huge dividends for Presti down the road.