Sometimes, a change of scenery can do an individual a whole lot of good. From an on-court production standpoint, it seems this is proving to be exactly the case for Ousmane Dieng, as he’s already putting forth efforts in Milwaukee that he never seemed capable of during his time with the OKC Thunder.
After three and a half seasons played in the Sooner State, the former lottery pick was shipped out at the 2026 trade deadline in a move that ultimately opened up a roster spot for their acquisition from a separate deal, Jared McCain.
Though initial expectations for the forward’s immediate future seemed to be rather bleak, as he was traded four times in a span of 24 hours, since landing with the Bucks, it seems as if his trajectory has slowly but surely been on the rise.
Bucks seeing production from Ousmane Dieng Thunder never did
While it may only be a three-game resume, Dieng has found himself improving his level of play with every passing day out in Milwaukee.
Most importantly, he’s been serving as one of the team’s most impactful contributors during this stretch.
Throughout his week-long tenure with the Bucks, Dieng has posted impressive two-way averages of 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks on 56.0 percent shooting from the floor and 50.0 percent shooting from deep, while registering a team-best plus-minus of plus-7.0.
His most recent outing on Thursday night was undoubtedly one of the best he’s had in his entire career, and, ironically enough, it came against the Thunder out in front of an incredibly welcoming Paycom Center.
Logging 36 minutes in his return to Oklahoma City, Dieng was playing like a man possessed, scoring at will from virtually everywhere on the court, dropping highlight dimes to teammates, and providing tremendous rim-protecting skills.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Frenchman had put together a ridiculous stat line of 19 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, four blocks, and a steal while boasting shooting clips of 58.3 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from distance.
More importantly, from the Bucks’ perspective at least, Milwaukee managed to win its fifth straight game, its second straight with Dieng slotting into the starting lineup.
Not once during his time with the Thunder did he put up north of 15 points in two consecutive games, let alone do so while shooting 50.0 percent or better from both the floor and beyond the arc in them.
In only a week’s worth of action, Dieng has already managed to accomplish such a feat with the Bucks.
Still only 22 years old, it’s clear that the youngster has plenty of basketball left to play in his career, and Milwaukee is hoping that they can continue to get more performances like these last two out of him on a consistent basis moving forward.
Though it would be tough to see his potential coming to fruition with another team, as coach Mark Daigneault put it following OKC’s 110-93 loss to Dieng and the Bucks, the Thunder should “want guys to leave here and do well.”
So far, it seems these desires of the headman are already being seen from the recently departed Dieng.