Jaryd Wilson, who does interactive work for the Atlanta Hawks, contacted Card Game Thursday, asking for opinions about Gorgui Dieng in preparation for the NBA draft, scheduled June 27th.
“If you didn’t know, we have the 17th and 18th overall picks in this year’s draft, and Gorgui Dieng is a player some mock drafts have us taking,” he wrote. “We are reaching out to local experts to get opinions and analysis of these players, and we were hoping you would help us with Dieng.”
The team is putting together a 2013 Draft Central page on their web site at Hawks.com.
While the observer doesn’t consider himself an expert, he certainly has opinions, based on having seen every University of Louisville basketball game in which Gorgui participated since his freshman year. Here are the questions and responses:
What are his strengths? Weaknesses?
Strengths — Gorgui’s strongest asset, aside from his obvious physical assets, is a consistent commitment to personal improvement, applicable to everything he does. In his first press conference as a freshman, he related that his father had always told him that anything that comes too easy is not a good thing. He arrived at the University of Louisville three years ago lean and green, having played soccer most of his life and only a year of so of high school basketball, standing 6-foot-10 weighing between 165 and 175 pounds. He put on about 50 pounds, almost all of it muscle, while he was here.
Because of his length, he has always been a good shot blocker. But he has developed a wide range of shots along the way, including zone-breaking jumpers from outside the key, a natural hook and occasional three-pointers. He also gets up and down the court quickly, finds open shooters, and is an effective defender, surprisingly making one or two steals per game. Toward the end he was becoming a floor general, helping out his point guard. If there’s something he needs to improve, he will work on it and get better. Count on it.
Weaknesses — Not many. Occasionally he seemed to be in awe of his surroundings on a major stage. Also, because he was so thin physically when he arrived, Gorgui would occasionally revert back, seemingly almost subconsciously. He’s a people person, not an intimidator, and that could be construed as a weakness by some.
What did he add to his team in college? What will he bring to an NBA team?
Gorgui is a genuinely humble individual, a very likeable person, very popular with his teammates and fans because of his upbringing and his personal outlook on things. He’s one of those people who brings out the best in others, inspiring cohesion and team qualities that occur naturally because of his sincerity and leadership qualities.
What kind of style is he best suited for?
Louisville fared well against slowdown styles as well as teams that like to run so I believe he is prepared for either extreme.
What sets him apart from draft prospects at his position?
His consistent work ethic is the difference, eager to learn new things to improve himself and his team. One senses a desire for continuing learning and improvement from Gorgui that is rarely evident from typical players, perhaps due to his modest upbringing in Senegal.
Favorite memory of him at Louisville?In the regional NCAA final against Duke, he was still unveiling offensive moves that we had never seen him make, active without the ball, making pick-and-roll shots and mid-range jumpers while outplaying NBA prospect Mason Plumlee. Gorgui had 14 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and two steals in that game.
If an NBA team wanted to build a team of character, transcendent of wins and losses, which served as a repository of exemplary individuals for the youth of its area to emulate in life, Gorgui would make the perfect cornerstone to begin construction.
Teams not interested in fostering higher ideals for their community can count on Dieng as a terrific basketball player who will continue to improve in all facets of the game.