Is Gorgui Dieng The Timberwolves’ Center Of The Future?

Injuries are most certainly a part of the NBA game.

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However, the rash of misfortunes that have constantly plagued the Minnesota Timberwolves over the past two seasons is somewhat borderline immoral. The basketball gods have been less than just to the fans of the Twin Cities.

Through all the disappointing performances, disparaging news, and uneventful blowouts, the 2014-15 season has surprisingly symbolized a sense of hope for the Wolves faithful.

From hitting the jackpot by trading Kevin Love for Andrew Wiggins, to the measured gamble in drafting a baby-faced Bruin who started only one game as a collegiate player, in Zach LaVine, Minnesota’s future suddenly looks eerily reminiscent to the state of the Oklahoma City Thunder circa 2008.

Aside from their freakish, high-flying 20-year-old duo in Wiggins and LaVine, the one constant, and the Timberwolves’ most dependable rock in the middle this season, has been the sturdy play of Gorgui Dieng.

With Nikola Pekovic‘s eternal battle with various lower extremity injuries, the Wolves have had to rely on a heavy dose of Dieng as the year has progressed.

Not surprisingly, he has increased his anecdotal output across the board when compared to his rookie campaign of last season.

More encouragingly, Dieng has some made significant strides as an individual offensive player from year one to year two.

Starting from his performance at the Summer League, in which he has parlayed into the incumbent regular season, the Senegalese center has shown a bevy of eye-raising of post moves.

Most notably, he has shown a penchant for hitting one-footed fadeaways — ala Dirk Nowitzki — bank shots while facing up in the pinch post — ala Tim Duncan — and the occasional dream shake into a turnaround J — ala Hakeem Olajuwon.

That is not to say that he is the next Dirk, Duncan, or Dream, but his refined offensive repertoire has been a sight for sore eyes, especially for the long-suffering contingent of Timberwolves fans.

In fact, according to NBA.com’s SportVU Data, Dieng ranks within the top 55.0 percentile in terms of post-up efficiency, producing roughly 0.85 PPP (points per possession) in post-up situations.

In addition, Dieng has been the Wolves’ most efficacious roll man in pick-and-roll sets, generating a team-high 1.16 PPP, which ranks within the top 86 percentile of the league, when serving as the screener.

The gaudy production is even impressive when taking into account that almost half of his time on the court this season has been shared alongside LaVine — not exactly a point guard you would describe as stable or sure-handed.

What makes Dieng such a devastating option out of the pick-and-roll is his ability to roll towards the basket and finish at the rim, as well as his capacity to flare out to the elbow extended areas and drain open pick-and-pop set Js.

More explicitly, the former Louisville Cardinal converts on roughly 57.1 percent of his shot attempts from 10-16 feet, which make up for approximately 21.0 percent of his total field goal attempts from the floor this season, per Basketball-Reference.

While his range is limited out to 16 feet, his combination of shooting mechanics and touch suggests he can gradually extend his range as his career progresses.

Defensively, however, Dieng has, for the most part, been quite disappointing this year. Save for the rare cat-quick rotation or highlight block, Gorgui has been one of the Wolves’ main culprits to their anemic interior D.

In particular, despite averaging a healthy 1.7 blocks per game, opponents shoot over 55.9 percent at the rim when Dieng is patrolling the paint.

Certainly, it would be absurd to suggest that his mundane rim protection is exclusively his fault. The Timberwolves has housed some of the worst perimeter — specifically, pick-and-roll — defense all season long. For such reasons, opposing teams attempts approximately 10.3 shots at the rim per game against Dieng, the second highest mark in the association.

However, when compared to his contemporaries who experience a similar brand constant pressure from hard-charging perpetrators, their results are significantly more stifling. Namely, Pau Gasol and Nerlens Noel, both of whom defend around 10 shot attempts at the rim per game, hold opponents well below 50 percent when defending the paint.

Sure enough, Dieng is ranked 49th among centers in DRPM (defensive real plus-minus), per ESPN. Moreover, according to 82games.com, opposing centers post a superfluous 23.4 PER (player efficiency rating) against Dieng.

Once again, such stats need to be taken with the proper context. Dieng has played the majority of his minutes with young, undisciplined defenders, like LaVine, Wiggins, and Shabazz Muhammad before his season-ending injury.

But, at 6-foot-11 (in shoes), blessed with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and a 9-foot-4 standing reach, not to mention his feathery feet for a big, Dieng has the makings and profile of an elite rim protecting, modern day center.

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His overzealous nature, though, in giving penetrators a free path towards the hoop in hopes of accumulating a block, and the undisciplined angles he takes when defending the pick-and-roll, negate Dieng’s imposing stature and natural instincts on D.

Even though Gorgui is only in his second season, Dieng is already 25 years old. It would be disingenuous not to assume a limited capacity, concerning future improvements, from here on out.

As the Wolves take their next step, drafting a game changing big would most definitely be an added luxury — however, it should not come at the expense of potentially drafting a more qualified perimeter stud.

Whether or not Dieng will serve as the Wolves’ starting center over the upcoming years will ultimately depend on two factors: (1) Gorgui’s desire to evolve into a high caliber NBA defender, and (2) who Minnesota drafts in the upcoming draft.

Nonetheless, starting or not, Dieng’s rare package of developed skills and above-average length will make him an integral part of Minnesota’s future plans.

Next: Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 Things To Look For Over The Next Month

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