Count Sam Presti as an Ousmane Dieng believer: 'He's on the right track'

USA Today

7 hours ago

Still one of the youngest players on the Oklahoma City Thunder, Ousmane Dieng still has one big supporter despite three shaky years. Sam Presti has liked what he's seen so far from the 22-year-old, knowing he was going to be a long-term project when added with the 2022 No. 13 pick.
From the Thunder's historic 2022 draft haul, Dieng has been the odd man out. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren have ascended into stardom. Jaylin Williams has carved out a nice backup role and was recently rewarded with a contract extension.
Meanwhile, Dieng has little to write home. He's averaged 4.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in his three seasons. He's only played 109 career games in that span. His career high is 39 games from his rookie year. He simply hasn't had enough opportunities to build up a real resume. Whether because of a lack of experience or injuries.
Despite that, Presti believes Dieng is on the right path. Just because he's been buried in the depth chart of an NBA champion doesn't mean he's not a suitable NBA player. The 22-year-old has shown flashes throughout his tenure. There'd be games where the 6-foot-10 forward shows off his handle and gets in a rhythm.
"He had some great moments for us this year in real rotation minutes, minutes he could not have provided the year before. I like his path because when we drafted him, he was maybe the youngest or one of the youngest players in that draft class, so we knew this was going to take some time," Presti said about Dieng. "He also was coming from overseas, which is another factor you have to kind of bake into the pathway just with language and some different assimilations."
Everybody knew Dieng was going to be a long-term project when he was drafted. He was about as raw as they came in terms of draft prospects. That meant you couldn't expect much out of his first two seasons. He quietly worked on his game with the G League's OKC Blue, where he's dominated over the years. To the point he was named the G League Finals MVP when they brought home the championship in 2023.
"I feel pretty good about where he is. I wish he had more time when we had those injuries because when he did get those chances, he had a huge game against Dallas. We wouldn't have won that game against Dallas," Presti said. "I think he had one against San Antonio that was really good, maybe Denver. He was contributing to winning. That's all you can ask for from these guys."
It's all about role fit and confidence for Dieng. He won't get the same on-ball reps on the Thunder as he does on the Blue, but that doesn't mean he can't contribute. If he can figure out how to be a catch-and-shoot threat with the occasional slash to the basket sprinkled in, he can develop into an NBA wing.
To Dieng's credit, he's come a long way from the start of his career. He was somebody who struggled with confidence early on with the Blue. Now, when he rarely gets assigned there, he becomes the primary ball-handler and gets into a groove. The next step is for him to downsize that role in the NBA.
With one year left on his contract, Dieng will have limited time to prove that. It'll be an uphill battle for him. But even if it doesn't work out in OKC, it sounds like Presti believes he'll eventually find his role in the league. It might just not be on the Thunder.
"I think he's on the right track. Now, his biggest change to me is just his body, his physical," Presti said. "He's really, really changed his body and that's through a lot of hard work, and that's, I think, given him a different level of confidence which has helped him play in these games."