Hamidou Diallo is the key for Thunder bench success

On an OKC Thunder second unit with Nerlens Noel and Dennis Schroder, why is it I believe Hamidou Diallo is the key?

Hamidou Diallo has started the season well for a second-year player who was under-utilized in his rookie year for the OKC Thunder.

It is understandable that Diallo did not get as much playing time as other rookies, due to playing behind Russell Westbrook and Paul George. However, thanks to the off-season that was, Diallo is now a key piece to the second unit.

Obviously sixth man extraordinaire Dennis Schroder runs the second unit, he is the best back-up point guard the OKC Thunder have had since James Harden (yes I am including Reggie Jackson in this). However, Diallo is the beating heart of the second unit.

Through four games, Diallo has averaged 18.0 minutes, 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game. While these averages are great, they do not show the intangibles which make Diallo the heart of the second unit.

When primary wing defender Terrance Ferguson goes off court for a rest, it is Diallo who Billy Donovan taps to guard the opposing teams’ best wing player. Yes, Diallo, the guy who got 10.3 minutes per game last season is now the primary defender on the second unit. Talk about taking steps in year two.

While it is a small sample size, Diallo has been incredible while on court. Against the Utah Jazz, Diallo had a plus/minus of minus one. He scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just 23 minutes. Diallo also had three rebounds (one offensive) and a steal.

Fast forward to the game against the Washington Wizards where he is assigned Bradley Beal when Ferguson is taking a rest. His plus/minus for the game? Minus three, not a bad effort against a two-time All-Star. He also showed the previous game’s output was not a fluke, scoring seven points on 3-of-7 shooting, collecting five rebounds and a steal.

https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1187897916964458496?s=20

Against the Golden State Warriors. Diallo played just under 13 minutes, his shortest amount of playing time for the season. His defensive assignment was none other than two-time league MVP Stephen Curry when they were both on court. Curry did score 23 points but shot 2-of-9 from deep.

Diallo simply went to work, turning defense into offense, scoring eight points including his first three of the year. He also had one rebound and a steal. The transition dunk from the Schroder pass nearly bought the house down.

Versus the Rockets the wing had his hands full often guarding Westbrook or Harden but put his stamp on the game grabbing six rebounds including five offensive boards.

To put it simply, Diallo has an infectious level of energy and makes it impossible to slack off when he is on the court. His offense is a direct result of his defense where he is making life difficult for some of the NBA’s best players already this season.

One area where Diallo needs to improve is his turnovers. He has nine in four games but he is playing with a lot of new faces and this number will normalize around the 20 game mark.

One thing is certain when Diallo is on the court, he is trying to make things happen every possession, trying to improve the OKC Thunder second unit to be among the best in the NBA.