Gorgui Dieng Is The Sixth Man The Timberwolves Crave
Gorgui Dieng has the potential to be an impressive sixth man for the Timberwolves, but does he want to go back to the bench that took him three years to break out of?
Back in 2013, 6 foot 11 Louisville center Gorgui Dieng was selected by the Utah Jazz as the 21st overall pick.
That same night he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with Shabazz Muhammad, and the Senegalese center-turned-power forward has not looked back.
Dieng has since become a starter for Minnesota, gradually building up to the current day, whereby he was part of the starting five for all 82 games.
He has not always been a power forward as Dieng spent three seasons coming off the bench as a center for the Timberwolves prior to the 2016-17 season.
Nikola Pekovic was leading the way as Minnesota’s center at the time, and the newly adopted power forward position had been the home for one Kevin Love.
Of course, the 2015-16 season had Gorgui again playing second-in-command to the team’s current center, Karl-Anthony Towns.
It left Gorgui with a predicament. Would he be happy playing second best to others in a Wolves shirt, or try to change his game so he could start games on a regular basis?
Then, along came Tom Thibodeau, the retirement of Kevin Garnett, and the rest speaks for itself.
Mr. Power Forward
Dieng is not a player whose value appears in the box score.
His very effective pick-and-roll game with Towns has been a revelation of sorts. He’s also always on hand to clean up for the big on the defensive side of their plays.
Back in December 2016, Dieng told Sports Illustrated that:
"“I’m going let him [Towns] run the show and I’ll be there to clean up stuff and make sure I help him finish what he’s trying to get.”"
Sometimes, a possible trey from Zach LaVine would only connect with the rim, but Dieng would be on hand to swat the ball back out to either the aforementioned shooting guard or point guard Ricky Rubio.
What is slowly becoming apparent is Mr. Dieng is improving season by season.
His stats showcase this with a gradual rise in field goals per game, 3-point percentage and both offensive/defensive rebounding.
At first glance, such stats may not exactly fill the average basketball fan with uttermost confidence.
Dieng is producing decent basketball when needs be, but in all honesty, would perfectly suit a bench player.
In relation to this argument is the fact that Dieng could be an influential sixth man.
Mr. Sixth Man
What Dieng offers is a solid defensive player, able to knock down mid-range shots on a regular basis, and give a significant number of rebounds per game.
He averaged 10 points and nearly eight rebounds in the regular season, stats, that if closely replicated as the sixth man, could be worth so much to Minnesota.
There were a few occasions when Minnesota was struggling to get shots to fall, and sometimes all it took was a Dieng mid-range basket to get things going.
His 3-point percentage has gradually increased too, although not by much.
Dieng’s game has this different element, and it has actually helped the Wolves in some situations.
He gobbled up a three against the Charlotte Hornets in that superb comeback in North Carolina back in the Winter months.
That same game also saw a spectacular play that occurred because Dieng had spaced the floor to the 3-point line. During that play, Dieng attempted and missed one from beyond the arc, but Towns came crashing in with a superb put-back dunk in overtime.
These stats are why Gorgui could really revel in being the sixth man for the Timberwolves.
There has been talk of how LaVine could possibly play this role, and again there are significant points for that argument.
Mr. Defense
However, it is Gorgui’s strength of defense, or more importantly rebounding, that makes him the perfect man for the job.
The fact he won Dunking for Wolves’ Defensive Player of the Year speaks volumes.
He placed an impressive 25th in rebounding at the close of the regular season, unsurprisingly behind his partner in crime Towns, who finished in sixth.
Unfortunately for Dieng, the team’s rather lackluster display on defense for the whole 82-game season will make his stats appear ever so bittersweet.
If Dieng was to become the sixth man for the Minnesota Timberwolves, consistently getting those rebounds and a decent amount of bench points, there needs to be a power forward who can apply themselves in his place.
Talk of Paul Millsap is a little far-fetched, but an unrestricted Taj Gibson is much more likely should the Timberwolves go to free agency for a power forward.
Maybe the draft could bring more joy to the Wolves in the coming months.
Whatever the decision, Gorgui has the potential to continue to get better and better as each season comes.
Next: Timberwolves Free Agency: Portland Trail Blazers Edition
He will want to start though, and maybe you cannot hold back Gorgui to the bench any longer.