Dieng Unchained: Ousmane Dieng Prospect Watch

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Photo credit: ESPN.com

There are plenty of great collegiate prospects available for the Spurs in this draft, but there are some overseas players that require a good look. One of those players is Frenchman Ousmane Dieng. He did not participate in the NBA Draft Combine, so there are no official measurements on him right now.

However, he is listed as a guy who is 6-foot-9 by most outlets and is in the 180-to-190-pound range with a plus wingspan. He should be able to play some point forward and is quite versatile. He will have to improve his shooting from deep and from the free throw line, but he projects to become a serviceable shooter down the line. Here are some of his stats from this past season in the NBL in about 20 minutes a game.

  • 8.9 PPG, 1.1 APG, 3.2 RPG, 0.6 SPG
  • 39.8 FG%, 27.1 3P%, 66.7 FT%

While his shooting percentages are not entirely encouraging, he still shot over 50% from inside the arc. A pretty astounding feat to compensate for his abysmal shooting from beyond the arc. He has a strong mid-range game and his live-dribble passing is something to behold. His ball handling and passing will be what gets him playing time initially.

Dieng will have to get stronger and this should help him finish more consistently at the rim. The added strength will also allow him to guard the beefier forwards down the road. He will have to shore up his defense, since he can be undisciplined at times. If he can get that under control and play within the Spurs’ system, he should be just fine.

The flashes of potential upside are most intriguing and what has NBA scouts’ attention right now. He can rebound the ball fairly well and should help Jakob Poeltl in that department since the Spurs are a bit on the small side right now. You can expect him to add some athleticism to this team, which is much needed, and especially at his height. He is also a smooth player who should fit quite nicely alongside Dejounte Murray. He is expected to go in the first round of this draft.

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