Dunking With Wolves
Fansided

Player Review: Gorgui Dieng

By Andrew Neururer

Apr 4, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Gorgui Dieng (5) during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Gorgui Dieng (5) during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next

Strengths

Nothing Gorgui Dieng does will get you out of your seat. He’s a player that is all about fundamentals.

Before entering the NBA Draft in 2013, he measured with a wingspan of 7-foot-3, per DraftExpress. With a long wingspan, he is able to block many shots. As many fans like to say, G-NIED! This past season he averaged 1.2 blocks per game.

He’s not the best fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns, due to his inability to stretch the floor. However, we did see Dieng expand his game to the 3-point line last season.

As you can see here in the video from Fox Sports North, Gorgui Dieng hits a corner three. Which is where we usually saw him spot up.

While Dieng doesn’t shoot that many three’s; he excelled when he did. He shot 43 3-pointers this season, making 16 of those. He shot a good percentage, shooting 37.5 percent. Each year he has shot more three’s; showing he’s expanding his game more and more. Unless he can figure it out from three, then he should shy away from deep.

Gorgui Dieng is probably one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Nothing about him is really mind-boggling. He’s a good player that does a lot of the little things. Such as setting screens, passing out of shots, shooting reasonable shots, rebounding, playing defense, and taking charges.

Taking charges was something Dieng excelled at this season. He ranked number one in charges drawn for the Timberwolves, and eight in the entire league. On NBA.com you can view the amount of charges each player takes. Gorgui had 21 on the entire season. Talk about sacrificing your body.

It may not show up in the stat sheet but being able to create charges means that you’re making the other team turn the ball over. It’s nice to see Dieng sacrifice his body in an effort to get wins.

As you can see in this video against the Phoenix Suns on January 24, 2017, you can see he does a little bit of everything. From that smooth mid-range jumper that we see so often to the blocked shots, rebounding, good decisions, and nice passes.

Gorgui Dieng is a good fundamental player that does it all, including the little things. He does a lot of good things that helps win basketball games, and that’s exactly what you want out of your starting power forward.

Home/Timberwolves News