Doc Rivers and Darvin Ham have both coached games for the Milwaukee Bucks lately, and each of them utilized different strategies for Ousmane Dieng's minutes. While Ham went all in on the young forward, Rivers dialed it back and kept him on a tighter leash. Moving forward, the Bucks may want Ham's strategy to be used far more.
The more Ousmane Dieng in Milwaukee's rotation, the better
In Milwaukee's recent outing with the OKC Thunder, a game Rivers missed due to a personal matter, Ham stepped in as head coach. Wanting to get a closer look at Milwaukee's trade deadline addition, Ham deployed Dieng for 36 minutes against his former team, the second-most he's had in a game in his four-year NBA career.
Dieng repaid the favor, pouring in one of his best games to date with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 11 rebounds, six assists, four blocks, and a steal. He was phenomenal on both sides of the ball, and his strong game helped lift the Bucks to a needed win. Ham called Dieng a "jewel" after the game and made it clear how excited he was to see more of the forward. Bucks fans couldn't wait, either.
Yet, Rivers had other plans. In Milwaukee's first game out of the All-Star break, Deing played a mere 22 minutes, far fewer than he did against OKC. The forward was still impactful, chipping in 10 points, two boards, one assist, and a block, but it felt like he had a lot more to give, especially considering the stellar game he just had previously.
Moving forward, it would be wise for the Milwaukee Bucks to play Dieng as much as they can. It's no secret that they found the steal of the trade deadline. A player who was traded three times has burst onto the scene as a legitimately impactful two-way piece. He's the type of lengthy, athletic wing that this team has been craving for years. Playing him 22 minutes feels like malpractice.
While they both had solid outings, Deing should be eating some of the minutes that go to Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis. He offers more upside than the pair does right now. That's not to say those two veterans should be cut from the rotation; he should simply be ahead of them in the pecking order for the time being.
Milwaukee has found a hidden gem who can help them in both the present and the future. There is no reason he shouldn't be out there for around 30 minutes nightly.
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