Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Ousmane Dieng made his first appearance in the NBA G League on Wednesday and helped the OKC Blue improve to 2-0.
Dieng produced 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in the 124-102 win over the Santa Cruz Warriors. He went 6-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, in 34 minutes of action in the matinee.
The Thunder also assigned second-round pick Jaylin Williams to Blue for the contest. He had seven points, nine rebounds, eight assists, four steals and one block in 30 minutes in his second appearance with the Blue.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault liked how they played.
I thought those guys all played really well, played the right way and competed hard. I couldn’t really tell the difference between it being a G League game and an NBA game — they brought the same thrust to it. I was impressed by the whole team, to be honest.
All-around game for @ousmane11_:
20 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST pic.twitter.com/68LCmh9wLF
— OKC BLUE (@okcblue) November 9, 2022
The contest gave the two draftees the opportunity to log some extended playing time. Dieng has been featured in the rotation more over the last week or so, while Williams has made only two appearances over the first 10 games of the season.
With the Thunder in action themselves on Wednesday, Dieng and Williams were inactive versus the Milwaukee Bucks. With the Blue sharing the same arena as the Thunder, the team has allowed players to double-dip but opted to sit Dieng and Williams.
The team will continue to monitor their minutes so they’re not overworked but Dieng and Williams figure to play with the Blue often this season. The organization has found success with their G League affiliate and Dieng and Williams figure to be the next players to benefit.
The Blue return to action on Thursday again versus the Warriors.
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