Oct 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng (13) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Slawson (18) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Ousmane Dieng Playing for Opening Night Minutes in OKC Thunder Preseason Finale

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Ivan White | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder are set for their final preseason game, which also marks the final opportunity for one player to make his case for a role on opening night.

On Friday night, the Thunder will take on the Denver Nuggets in the final game of this preseason cycle. With five games of preseason action already under their belt, the Thunder have a solid idea of what the season might hold as far as the fringes of the roster go.

While the Thunder still have a two-way slot open, that could easily change before the regular season begins. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City also might be making some last-minute decisions about who will see the floor on opening night.

Given Mark Daigneault’s mad scientist approach to rotations, it wouldn’t be surprising if just about every active player saw some action on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets. However, that game might mean more for Ousmane Dieng than just about anyone else on the roster.

Going into his fourth NBA season, Dieng is desperate to find his spot in the league and on the Thunder. So, anything short of a clear role on opening night would be a likely sign of things to come, which could include the end of his tenure in Oklahoma City.

While Dieng hasn’t exactly shown many encouraging signs as a fourth-year guy in the preseason thus far, he still has one chance to make a lasting impression ahead of the real thing. Throughout his career, the idea of Dieng has always been better than the reality of his play, and this preseason has been no different.

While the Thunder would love to see him finally take that next step and become a player who can stay on the floor and make a positive impact, his raw numbers simply leave too much to be desired. In five preseason games, Dieng has racked up 47 points while shooting 16-of-53 from the floor and 8-of-30 from three.

Despite all of the numbers that would point to him not being ready for even a single second of action against Houston, this final preseason game against Denver still gives him a chance to turn the tide in the right direction and ride some momentum into the regular season. A good game for Dieng doesn’t necessarily need to be about made shots, but that would certainly help.

Dieng’s process has generally been good in the preseason, but to play for a contender, results have to come at some point. Maybe those results begin to show up on Friday to earn some minutes in the opener, but if they don’t, Dieng’s days in a Thunder uniform could be numbered.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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