NBA Comparison:Nicolas Batum/Kyle Anderson

Strengths: Versatile point forward … Possesses great size for a wing … Above average length, with a body that looks like it can fill out nicely … Smooth, lean athlete … Above average athleticism … Started his career as a point guard and didn’t lose any mobility despite a growth spurt … A wing with a point guard’s skill set … Could be a mismatch weapon as a player who could – potentially – play 1 through 4 due to his size and mobility … Scoring isn’t there yet, but he could become a 3-level scorer if he continues improving … Has a solid first step for his size … Good ball handler, likes to drive to his right … Has shown potential as a Pull Up shooter, especially after a left dribble, with smooth shooting mechanics … Had some good moments in Spot Up 3’s … Knows how to take advantage of his length when driving to the basket … Has added a somewhat reliable floater to his arsenal that has helped him mix it up on offense … A finesse finisher around the basket with a soft touch … Has shown potential in ISO situations, having some nice hesitation moves and in-and-out dribbles, mostly shooting pull ups … Adept in Pick and Roll situations as the primary ball handler, can make every pass when he is focused, having the ability to pass to the rolling big or a 3rd player … Knows how to put his defender on his hip after taking a pick and decide what to do from there… Has made some creative one-handed passes that show potential… Has good court vision and makes solid reads in Pick and Rolls as the primary ball handler … Versatile defender due to size and length… He could be utilized in a switch on everything defense… Has nice lateral quickness and can stay in front of some wings … Fills the passing lanes and makes steals thanks to the combination of basketball I.Q and length … Has active hands on defense … Contests a lot of shots thanks to his length and makes a occasional block …

Weaknesses: Has put on some weight, but he still has a thin frame and he should look to bulk up … Has had a lot of ups and downs, even within games … Inconsistent performer, he could look like the best player on the floor at one moment and then disappear for stretches … Not an elite athlete … He doesn’t really have the ball on a string when dribbling, he could improve his left hand ball handling skills … A streaky shooter for now, with some adventurous misses from time to time … Not a consistent threat from the perimeter yet … Shooting mechanics in need or refinement … Has problems finishing through traffic and contact … One of the reasons he is shooting so many floaters is because he is shying away from contact … Can fall in love with his pull up game and settle for contested 3-pointers or mid-range shots … Doesn’t really go to the free throw line a lot … Has problems against physical defenders, must raise his level of toughness … Can make some advanced reads in Pick and Roll, but at the same time he may try passes that just aren’t there … At the junior level he showed some potential in Post Up situations against smaller opponents, but this hasn’t materialized yet at the senior level … Decision making isn’t completely there yet … Bad assist/turnover ratio (almost 1/1) for a player who is projected as a point forward … Has to avoid jumping on pump fakes … Depends too much on his length and size at times on defense and isn’t totally focused … Bigger opponents can bully him in the post …

Outlook: Ousmane Dieng is the definition of a “high ceiling – low floor” prospect … The sky is the limit, but if taken too high he can just as easily fall through the floorboards … The French wing surely passes the eye test, being a smooth point forward with nice size and length, having the ability to either score or create opportunities for his teammates in Pick and Roll situations … At the same time though, it’s difficult to ignore his ups and downs – even within games – he shows streaky shooting and surprisingly bad assist/turnover ratio for a player with his skillset … There is no denying that Dieng could become a special player … Whether this happens though depends on him and the team that selects and develops him… The French wing is far from ready and he is gonna need a transition period, where a lot of patience and reps will be needed for him to reach his potential …

Stefanos Makris 6/6/22