By Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Sports journalist
At the start of his third season in the league, Ousmane Dieng still remains something of an enigma in the ranks of the Thunder. But as the franchise prepares to play its first match, against Denver, it has made a decision regarding its future.
As a lottery pick, he was inevitably the subject of some expectations upon his arrival in the NBA. And so far, he has rarely had the opportunity to justify them. Ousmane Dieng is indeed struggling to impose himself on the Thunder since his arrival in 2022. To tell the truth, his status as 11th choice in the Draft does not alone allow him to stand out in a team full of young talents, but which can already be ambitious.
From then on, he continued to alternate back and forth between the NBA and the G-League, without ever managing to establish himself permanently in the Oklahoma City rotation. That said, before the franchise plays its first game of the season this Thursday, against the Nuggets, he expressed his desire to remedy this situation and prove its worth. A message that was echoed in the recent decision of its leaders.
Ousmane Dieng fixed on his future at Thunder
Via a press release published in recent hours, the Thunder officially communicated on Dieng’s future:
The Oklahoma City Thunder exercised the fourth-year options included in the contracts of center Chet Holmgren, winger Ousmane Dieng and guard Jalen Williams, as well as the third-year option in the contract of guard Cason Wallace. (…)
Dieng played in 72 games (one start) over the last two seasons with the Thunder and averaged 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 13.0 minutes per game. He was named the 2024 G-League Finals MVP after helping the Blue win their first minor league title.
It is therefore with a contract running until 2026 that the Frenchman will begin his 2024-25 campaign.
A necessarily pleasing announcement for him, since it demonstrates the confidence that the OKC front office continues to place in him. Now all that remains is to justify it on the field, and why not from the match against Denver. In the meantime, several fans of the team have expressed their satisfaction on X :
@Charles7309313 : Excellent news, Sam (Presti) and Mark (Daigneault) are hanging on to Ous. Right?
@reedkd1 : Ou is of course still extremely raw, but the progression is there. He is still only 21 years old and we could very well continue to let him develop because there is no reason to rush. Maybe he’ll become a cool piece of the rotation in a few years.
@ThatGuyCalledJB : That gives him and Presti more time to assess the situation. Either he takes his chance or he lets it slip away and in this case, Presti will find the best solution for all parties.
Despite a relatively discreet, even delicate start to his career at the Thunder, Ousmane Dieng saw his rookie contract officially extended until 2026. Enough to consider the current context as ideal to allow him to shine and assert himself in OKC.
