The OKC Thunder have been so great at finding and developing talent that they simply have too many quality pieces in town. Rosters can only hold so many players, forcing the Thunder to discard players despite how talented they are. The Milwaukee Bucks have certainly picked up on that, as they found a pair of hidden gems from the OKC farm system in Ousmane Dieng and Cormac Ryan.
Bucks have turned Thunder's forgotten players into contributors
It felt like no one wanted Ousmane Dieng leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline. Trying to shed his salary, the Thunder traded him to the Charlotte Hornets, who traded him to the Chicago Bulls, who traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee was the only team to realize that maybe the player who was picked 11th overall just a few years ago had plenty of potential.
The Thunder clearly liked Dieng, having taken him so high in the draft, but they simply didn't have any playing time available. Throughout his four seasons in town, he averaged just 12 minutes. With a team loaded with talented wings, Dieng spent most of his time as a spectator, just itching for a chance to prove he could also help.
Cormac Ryan wasn't a highly-touted prospect, having joined the Thunder undrafted for their Summer League stint in 2024. He did get signed after that and was swiftly waived, joining the OKC Blue down in the G League. There, he did play with Ousmane Dieng quite a bit, but without a path back to joining the Thunder's loaded roster, he made his way to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Now, the reuinited duo is playing some excellent basketball.
Dieng, Ryan have been bright spots for the Milwaukee Bucks
There hasn't been much to cheer for in Milwaukee lately, but these two have provided at least some reason for optimism.
Dieng had a solid month of March by posting 10.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and a steal while hitting 36.8 percent of his triples last month. Despite battling a slump, he showed that he could help this team, and it set him up for a breakout game to kick off April. Against the Houston Rockets, he hit 15 of his 31 shots en route to a 36 points, 10 assist, seven rebound performance.
Ryan, fresh off a promotion to a two-way, has not let the increased opportunity pass him by, putting together back-to-back excellent games. In a loss to the LA Clippers, Ryan poured in 13 points and a steal on three made 3-pointers. Against Houston, he topped that with 25 points and four assists on four made triple tries. He looks like a player who knows how golden of an opportunity this is.
Both players look like they could be in the Milwaukee Bucks' long-term future, and none of that would be possible without help from the Thunder's abundance of talented players.
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