The OKC Thunder opted to cut ties with their 2022 lottery-pick Ousmane Dieng just ahead of the February 5 trade deadline, shipping him off to the Charlotte Hornets in a mere roster-shedding move.
From there, the once-coveted draft prospect officially reached rock bottom in his career, as he would go on to be traded a total of four times in a span of just 24 hours before ultimately landing with his current team, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Throughout his two-month tenure in Wisconsin, Dieng has seemingly risen from the ashes and emerged as a phoenix, bursting onto the scene with impressive all-around play.
His latest showing against the Houston Rockets easily serves as his most noteworthy yet, as he went on to become the youngest forward to record a 35-plus point, 10-plus assist performance since a 21-year-old LeBron James did so back in March of 2006.
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At 22 years and 315 days old, Dieng poured in 36 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, and a steal on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor in a hard-fought, 119-113 loss to the title-hungry Rockets.
Without question, this is a mesmerizing feat by the young forward that deserves serious adulation and only further highlights his improvements as a player since departing the Thunder and joining the Bucks.
Over a span of 24 games, the power forward finds himself boasting sound averages of 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.
These numbers only rise to 12.4 points, 4.6 boards, and 4.2 assists when slotted into a starting role, as he was on Wednesday.
During his three-and-a-half seasons spent with the Thunder, Dieng showed flashes of untapped potential, particularly down in the development league.
While this was always understood, the problem was that with how stacked OKC's talent pool surrounding him was, particularly at the forward position, coupled with the fact that they have been in win-now mode essentially since his arrival, the coaching staff was never able to give the extended leash and freedom to learn through trial-and-error that a prospect as raw as him desperately needed.
However, a 30-win, lottery-bound team like the Bucks, which could realistically lose its franchise cornerstone at the same position, Giannis Antetokounmpo, seems to be the squad that can provide him exactly this.
Ahead of an offseason where he's headed toward free agency and, in turn, will be looking for a new contract, it appears Dieng is actively setting himself up for rather lucrative offers.