Ousmane Dieng made his Milwaukee Bucks debut on Monday, but that wasn't much of an opportunity, just five minutes in a blowout loss. Two days later, however, he made his mark in his first real crack at the rotation, providing 17 points off the bench on a career-high five made threes.
The Bucks still don't know what the former lottery pick can be, but this first glimpse makes it hard to fault them for a low-risk swing on upside at the trade deadline.
Bucks already look astute for taking a flyer on Dieng
Milwaukee acquired Dieng from Chicago in a three-team deal that sent Amir Coffey and Cole Anthony to the Suns. Previously with Oklahoma City, Dieng never became what the Thunder hoped when they drafted him 11th overall in 2022. This season, he averaged 3.7 points in 27 games. For his career, he averaged 4.2 points in 136 games. He never really carved out a role.
Still just 22, however, Dieng has obvious upside as something between a stretch big and an oversized wing. Listed at 6-foot-9 and 185 pounds, he is light for a center, a position he played for the Thunder, but also rather big for a small forward. He has a decent handle for his size, which he put on display several times against Orlando with a smooth dribble sequence into a pair of stepbacks beyond the arc.
Dieng's final basket came when he took Franz Wagner off the bounce from the wing to maneuver his way into a baseline jumper.
Although he did not otherwise stuff the stat sheet, the smooth-shooting forward did what he was asked, consistently putting himself in position to create open looks. All three of his catch-and-shoot opportunities were high-percentage looks in the corner. On two occasions, Dieng subtly rotated behind his defender and wound up wide open. Opposing defenders may need to start guarding him more attentively.
It's hard to say what Dieng could become, in Milwaukee or elsewhere, but 17 points in 23 minutes is a nice start to his time with the Bucks. If he shows enough promise, they may look to retain him in restricted free agency this summer.
For the cost of Coffey and Anthony, who both reached their expiration date in Doc Rivers' rotation, adding Dieng for the final three months of the season is a wager worth making. On the surface, the Bucks sent out more production than they brought in, but Dieng wasted little time making the move look smart. After his performance on Wednesday, he should be all but guaranteed regular chances moving forward.