With Russell Westbrook and Paul George each having been moved along, the Oklahoma City Thunder enter the 2019-20 season as a team in transition. Chris Paul probably still has some gas left in the tank, but with there being constant speculation that he could be moved —perhaps to the Miami Heat — there’s little doubt that Sam Presti and his staff will embrace rebuilding.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is believed to have some serious potential, evidenced by his being ranked as a Top 65 NBA player in ESPN’s most recent Top 100 NBA Player Ranking. But the question as to who else can emerge as a building block for the future is among the central questions facing Billy Donovan and his staff this coming season.
Hamidou Diallo could be among them.
Writing for OKCThunder.com, Nick Gallo sat down with Diallo and discussed with the 21-year-old rising sophomore the potential that he showed as a rookie last season.
The Queens, New York native seems to have high expectations for himself, saying:
In this league you’ve got to be ready for anything at any given time, and sometimes you face adversity, but you still have to learn how to fight through and learn how to push through.
Selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 45th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Diallo was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in early July before being acquired by Presti in a subsequent trade with the Hornets.
The challenge for him, as pointed out by Gallo, will be proving that he can become a complete, consistent player at the NBA level. He will be among a throng of players competing for minutes at the guard spots for the Thunder. But with the team clearly seeking to develop its future talents, he will be a player worth watching as the season gets underway.
Gallo notes that heading into 2019 training camp that Diallo is intent on proving he can be more than just a dunker and finisher at the rim.
Of his goals for the season, Diallo said:
Going out there defending the best player every night and showing that I’m capable to do that at a high level. Just display a full evaluation of where I’m at after all of the work that I put in in the summer.
Time will tell whether he can become the latest example of a player drafted in the second round who is able to carve out a long and productive career in the NBA.
