Louisville’s Gorgui Dieng Would Be Welcome Addition To The Nets

There is a player in the first round of  the draft that would be able to come to the Nets and play right from the start – Gorgui Dieng of Louisville.

The Nets are in dire need of a young athletic defensive presence that can backup Brook Lopez at the center spot.  Lopez is big but he is far from what you would call “athletic” and is more of an offensive center that is growing on the defensive end to become an elite player.

Dieng is a 6-11 mass of athleticism with a 7-3 wing span but more importantly, his basketball IQ is high, has great timing and knows how to play off pick and rolls which would benefit Deron Williams.  He can hit the open jump shot when faced up to the rim but his asset to a team is defense.

The Nets would be a perfect fit for Dieng on a rookie contract. The ability to step into good minutes while growing and learning from Lopez as a player on a veteran team in a winning situation.

DraftExpress Link gives a great looks at his stats.

[quote_box]Chad Ford ESPN Mock Draft 4.0
Round 1 #22

Gorgui Dieng – Brooklyn Nets

COLLEGE: Louisville AGE: 23 HT: 6-11W T: 230  POS: C

Analysis: The Nets got a great season out of Brook Lopez, but they don’t really have a credible backup for him. Dieng’s play in the NCAA title game gave him a big boost in his draft stock. Not only can he block shots, but he’s also a surprisingly good passer and is developing a nice face-the-basket game. Maybe more important to the Nets, he should be able to play right away.
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[quote_simple]Jared Zwerling  ESPN NY

The 6-foot-11, 230-pound Dieng anchored the No. 1-ranked defense in the country during his senior year at Louisville en route to the championship over Michigan. He’s a tremendous shot-blocker (2.5 per game), and has great athleticism and lateral movement covering and showing on screens. His length and agility then allow him to quickly rotate down and protect the rim. Dieng is also a tenacious rebounder (9.4 boards per game).

Offensively, Dieng, who was a college teammate of J.R. Smith’s younger brother, Chris, from 2010-12, excels in pick-and-rolls. He shows good timing while catching the ball on the go and finishing with strong dunks. His post-up game, however, needs some polishing, which is why he wasn’t a focal point in the Cardinals’ offense (9.8 points per game).[/quote_simple]

[quote_simple]NBADRAFT.NET on Dieng

Strengths: Bigman with excellent length and defensive potential … 7-foot-3 wingspan gives him exceptional length and makes him a potential rim protector … His bread and butter is his ability to defend as he shows solid lateral foot speed and the ability to smother opponents and limit their open looks … Shows natural timing on blocked shots, and does a solid job of not biting on fakes and exploding on blocked shots … Surprising touch on his mid range jumper considering his lack of all around offensive skills … Uses his length, size and ability to leap off of 2 feet well to grab rebounds … Has become an effective half court player when given an open look from mid range … Scores mainly on face up shots within 10-12 feet of the basket … Put on solid strength over the past year and after appearing to lack strength early in his college career, it no longer looks to be a deficiency … Solid decision maker and passer for a big, had a positive a/to ratio as a senior … Considered hard working player and a high character guy who was an excellent run/jump athlete before becoming a collegian and joining Louisville …

Weaknesses: Lacks great post skills, scoring most of his points on open looks around the basket or face up shots … Limited offensively and likely won’t ever be much of a scorer. Even as a senior failed to average in double digits … FG% is low for a post guy showing his inability to convert a high amount of inside baskets … Midrange shooting is good but touch on plays around the basket is average at best … Will need to develop a back to the basket game and go to move …[/quote_simple]