The preseason is about the bottom of the depth chart. Players at the end of the bench are given a chance to get some serious playing time as they try to carve out a rotation role or simply keep their careers alive. The Oklahoma City Thunder have leaned into that so far.
The Thunder have an abnormal six preseason games. Even weirder is that they had a road back-to-back to start. And even weirder is that both were at non-NBA arenas. Talk about diving into the deep end of the pool after a short three-month offseason.
To give their starters and top bench players extra rest, the Thunder elected to use the first two preseason games for the end of their bench and Exhibit 10 deal players. It made no sense to force them to travel back-to-back from the jump for exhibitions.
The Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks played their probable Opening Night starters. For the Thunder, Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace each played a game for family and friend reasons near their hometowns. They’re projected to be two of OKC’s eight best rotation players. The other six sat out both games.
That means plenty of minutes went around for the non-rotation part of the roster. One that stood out was Ousmane Dieng. The 22-year-old is in his fourth season. It’s been a forgettable first three years. When the Thunder added him with the No. 11 pick of the 2022 NBA draft, everybody knew he’d be a long-term project.
That said, Dieng’s lack of playing time has caused most folks to be ready to move on. The Thunder’s fast ascension from a rebuild to an NBA champion has shortchanged him from playing consistent minutes. Even though he’s looked comfortable at the G League level, that’s different than being a regular NBA rotation player.
Dieng’s made the best of his less-than-ideal situation so far. He’s averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and six assists in two preseason games so far. He’s shot 39.3% from the field on 14 shot attempts per game. While the efficiency isn’t superb, you have to like the volume.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault pointed that out. He said positive things about Dieng’s preseason so far. Small sample size, sure, but his shot aggressiveness is different from how he looked when he first arrived three years ago.
“He’s been good. He’s got really good size. He’s still one of our youngest players because of how young he was when he came in,” Daigneault said. “He’s made significant steps in his body and game. Much more confident now than I think he’s ever been.”
Sometimes, NBA players need a fresh start. Perhaps Dieng can be the next in line. Even if he has a strong preseason, it’s calculus to pencil in rotation minutes for him. The Thunder are too deep to really figure that out. Going to a rebuild could change that.
There’s still enough potential for Dieng to at least get a second chance elsewhere. If the Thunder make any trades this season, his expiring salary can be used to make the money work. And for his new team, he’ll be worth the half-season gamble.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Mark Daigneault has so far liked Ousmane Dieng’s 2025-26 preseason
