Oklahoma City Thunder Media Conference

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

Ousmane Dieng

Press Conference


Q. How are you feeling after wrapping up your rookie season in the NBA?

OUSMANE DIENG: I'm feeling good. Unfortunately losing against Minnesota, but I think it was a great season overall for the whole team. I think that was a great season overall.

Q. Where do you feel like this season has helped you and where do you feel like you've grown overall?

OUSMANE DIENG: I think it's helped me on the court, and off the court that was a very long season, the longest I've played. I haven't played in -- yeah, I learned to never get too low and never get too high after the games, so yeah, probably that.

Q. How big of a help were your teammates, guys like Lu who speak French in helping you through the season?

OUSMANE DIENG: Oh, it was a big help that he speaks French, too. That was a really big help for me. Even other teammates were really cool, and yeah, they're here for me, so that's good.

Q. You were starting to get rolling a little bit before you had your wrist injury. How hard was it during that time of rehab and then trying to get back?

OUSMANE DIENG: I think that was hard at first, like just after the injury I started playing good, but I started playing with my left hand, so that wasn't that bad. It wasn't like a leg injury. I think I just focused on what I could control and tried to come back and fast as I can.

Q. Do you plan on playing in Summer League?

OUSMANE DIENG: Yeah, I think so.

Q. What are some of the things you want to work on or improve on in the off-season?

OUSMANE DIENG: I think the off-season will be really important for me. I'm going to improve my body, still working on my shot and my game in general, so yeah.

Q. What did you learn most about yourself as a player this season?

OUSMANE DIENG: What do you mean?

Q. What did you learn about yourself as a basketball player this season?

OUSMANE DIENG: I think I learned that I can play in this league, and yeah, I can play hard, I can play multiple positions, guard multiple positions, and yeah, that's it.

Q. What did you learn about the NBA that you didn't know coming into this season?

OUSMANE DIENG: It's a tough league, long season, really good players on every team, and yeah, probably that.

Q. What was it like playing for Kam Woods and the consistency between the Blue and the Thunder?

OUSMANE DIENG: I think that was good. They try and do the same thing we do at the Thunder, so that was really good for me to go back and forth, playing with the same players. That was easy.

Q. Do you want to play with the French national team?

OUSMANE DIENG: Yeah, it would be an honor for me to play with them if they ask me, but for now I'm focused on my summer, to work and be back next season.

Q. What's it been like for you living in this community now for almost a year?

OUSMANE DIENG: It's been good. I really like it. I really like the city. The fans are really cool. Yeah, I enjoy it.

Q. Have you found any great places you like to eat?

OUSMANE DIENG: Any type of (indiscernible) I like here.

Q. What do you think you need to improve on over the summer to I guess insert yourself into the rotation?

OUSMANE DIENG: I think keep improving on everything, my shot, my offensive game, my defense.

I think you're (indiscernible) perfect you start to think about everything, so yeah.

Q. Going into your first NBA off-season, have you gotten any advice on how to make the most of it?

OUSMANE DIENG: I think just like, of course, every day, be ready to give everything every day and then just work.

Q. What's tougher for an NBA rookie, playing NBA offense or NBA defense?

OUSMANE DIENG: I don't know. Probably both. Like I said, every players are really good, so it's a tough matchup every time. And on the offense, playing the right way, playing the rotations.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
131950-1-1041 2023-04-15 22:12:00 GMT

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