OKC Thunder player who could outperform expectations No. 2) Hamidou Diallo
Being that it is the final year of his rookie-scale contract, you can almost guarantee Hamidou Diallo will try to put his all into this season which, in turn, could help him land a lucrative payday come the 2021 offseason.
It is our belief that he will deliver on these intentions and have himself a career year.
The third-year wing has showcased an impressive combination of defensive instincts and athleticism during his short tenure with the OKC Thunder which, in turn, led to a nice 19.5 minute per game role in 2019-20 that produced to the tune of 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds on 45 percent shooting from the field.
Frankly, it would appear that the only thing holding the 22-year-old back in his progressions is been his inconsistent 3-point shooting stroke, where he holds a career conversion rate of just 25 percent. While he did manage to bring this number up to 28 percent last season, Diallo will need to take even greater strides this year, somewhere within the 30-35 mark.
While at Kentucky he did shoot the long ball at a 34 percent clip and, most recently, during the final two months of the regular season last year he managed to convert on 42 percent of his 3-pointers while hoisting up 2.4 attempts per game during this stretch.
If he can keep those trends up for an entire season, Hamidou Diallo will be well on his way to becoming a fixture within this young OKC Thunder core moving forward.