The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the deepest teams in the league. It's no secret.
But, at times, this comes with rotational casualties: talented players whose minutes are severely limited by the sheer talent the Thunder have on their roster. Ousmane Dieng, who Oklahoma City selected 11th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, was certainly one of these players.
His minutes steadily decreased in the four seasons he was with the Thunder, ultimately forcing the team to move off of him for next to nothing at the trade deadline. Dieng will be a restricted free agent this summer.
But on a Milwaukee Bucks team that's making a genuine push for the play-in now that Giannis Antetokounmpo has returned, he's playing meaningful minutes on a game-to-game basis. For fans who were proponents of Dieng's potential, this doesn't come as much of a surprise.
But it could have major implications for his career as he enters a pivotal offseason.
Ousmane Dieng still has room to develop, and he's showcasing it in Milwaukee
At 6'9", Dieng was seen during the draft process as a prospect with a rare combination of size and offensive upside. These are players that NBA teams will gamble on until the end of time.
But he failed to cement himself as a part of Oklahoma City's young core during his time there. By the time he reached the 2025-26 season, he was essentially only playing in garbage time. Through 27 games with the Thunder this season, he averaged just 3.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, and one assist on a diet of 10.9 minutes per game.
With second apron penalties incoming this offseason, Oklahoma City had little choice but to move on from him.
Through 11 games with the Bucks, however, he's already flashed his upside as a scorer, averaging 8.9 points and shooting 38% from 3-point range. He's started each of Milwaukee's last two games, bumping Kyle Kuzma to the bench and playing in the frontcourt alongside Antetokounmpo.
It remains to be seen whether the Bucks will take a flyer on him this offseason, but the next 20-or-so games will certainly be a trial run for Dieng. If he was unable to flash his potential during this time, it's quite possible his only opportunities next season would have been on a two-way contract.
That could quickly prove to be a one-way ticket out of the NBA.
First-round picks fizzle out of the league all the time, and Dieng must do everything within his power to earn a standard deal for next season. So far, he's done exactly that through this first stretch in Milwaukee.