You started your NBA career two months ago. How do you feel ?
I’m happy, everything is going really well, I’m working hard every day and I’m becoming a better player…
You started your NBA career two months ago. How do you feel ?
I’m happy, everything is going really well, I’m working hard every day and becoming a better player week by week. It is the beginning of a new stage, of a new life. I take full advantage of it because I want to take advantage of it, to give the best of myself in this league which is so selective and competitive. I am very well supervised and the staff of the team makes me work a lot so that I become a complete player and to exploit my potential to the maximum. Things are falling into place. This is the most important thing for me, to register in this league in the medium and long term.
How is your daily life in Oklahoma City?
It’s not a very dynamic city, there’s not really much to do there so it keeps me focused on basketball and on the courts, that’s a good thing (laughs). More seriously, I settled in a house not far from the training center and I am 100% focused on basketball, on my body and on my work on the physique in order to continue to evolve on this aspect. The NBA season is very long, very intense, and you have to know how to work hard but also be diligent during the recovery phases. When the season is launched, we almost never stop, everything is linked and we don’t have much time to think!
You took your first steps on the NBA courts once morest the Minnesota Timberwolves a few weeks ago. What did you feel ?
I was very happy to see that the first stage of my NBA career was finally starting. I didn’t feel any particular pressure, but a lot of excitement. Playing in the NBA is my life’s dream, and even though I’m still very young, I make a lot of sacrifices to be where I am today. I take nothing for granted and I still have everything to do, a lot to accomplish. This is just the beginning of a great and long adventure in the NBA.
stop shot
Bad news for the Villeneuve-sur-Lot player: during Oklahoma Blue’s match once morest Salt Lake City on Friday, Ousmane Dieng fractured his right wrist while his G-League season is going wonderfully, with more of 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists on average. He will be away from the courts for six weeks! It’s a setback in his rookie season…
“It’s my daily life now to face the best players on the planet”
Your best career game took place at the beginning of the month, during the victory once morest the Atlanta Hawks with 15 points (6/8 on shots including 3/4 on three points) and 5 rebounds…
This match was really great, we won and I was able to show what I am capable of in almost twenty minutes of play. I felt very comfortable, aggressive in the good sense of the word, while leaving the game come to me, and I felt the confidence of my teammates, which is always important because I’m very young and a newcomer. It’s important to show up at this level because playing time is still irregular for me and I have to optimize my performance when I’m asked to go on the court.
You have therefore already played once morest the stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic but above all one of your idols, the Los Angeles Clippers winger, Paul George…
It’s just crazy when I think regarding it, but it’s my daily life now to face the best players on the planet. It’s great to see guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and especially Paul George up close and to have to defend once morest them or come across them on the court. But I’m a competitor, I want my team to win, and I’m not a fan (smile). I want to build my own story and become a very solid player in this league, essential.
You have also made several stints with Oklahoma Blue, the affiliate franchise that plays in the G-League. How do you also live this kind of experience?
I take the positive and I keep the rhythm with this team, because my playing time is still very irregular with the Thunder. It’s part of the adaptation and integration process, and I know it’s part of my development plan put in place with the staff of Thunder and Blue. I am a patient person, all the work I do will pay off as soon as possible.
“I am patient, attentive, I know that all the work I do will pay off as soon as possible”
What is the plan in place with the staffs of the G-League and the NBA?
