2019
Dieng began the 2019-20 season with the Timberwolves. Appearing in 46 games (with 17 starts) for Minnesota, he averaged 7.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.8 steals in 16.9 minutes per contest. On Dec. 21 against the Trail Blazers, Dieng posted his first of nine double-doubles, recording 15 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 37 minutes. Two games later, Dieng posted his first 20-point game of the season, recording 21 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and one block in 41 minutes against the Kings. Two games after that, Dieng grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds against the Nets, plus 11 points, three steals, two assists and one block in 33 minutes. Shortly after, on Jan. 5 against the Cavaliers, Dieng recorded a season-high 22 points in addition to 13 rebounds, a season-high six assists and a season-high four blocks (achieved twice) in 29 minutes. During the aforementioned stretch of games, the big man averaged 13.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks in 30.4 minutes. On Feb. 6, Dieng was traded from the Timberwolves to the Grizzlies -- the trade also resulting in Jae Crowder, Solomon Hill and Andre Iguodala going to the Miami Heat, Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow going to the Grizzlies and James Johnson going to the Timberwolves. During Dieng's Memphis debut on Feb. 12, he racked up seven points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 13 minutes during a home win over Portland. Overall, as a member of the Grizzlies, Dieng averaged 7.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 18.7 minutes. Three of his double-doubles were in a Memphis uniform.
2018
Dieng kicked off the 2018-19 campaign -- his sixth in the league, all with Minnesota -- by scoring in double digits for three straight games, beginning with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in the opener against the Spurs. He also went on to record at least five rebounds in seven of his first 10 games. Dieng scored 15 and added eight boards in a win over the Kings on Dec. 17. He grabbed a season-best 11 rebounds twice, first versus the Magic on Jan. 4 and then Apr. 10 at the Nuggets. Dieng posted multiple steals 10 times, peaking at three on two occasions. He displayed his length by blocking at least one shot in 34 of 76 appearances. The 6-foot-11 center also chipped in by making 19-of-56 3-pointers -- including a pair of efforts where he hit at least two. Dieng ended the season on a high note by averaging 14.5 points and 5.9 rebounds over the final eight games. During that stretch, he also contributed 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. As a bonus, he also set career bests in free-throw percentage (.830), turnover percentage (11.9), and usage rate (19.6).
2017
Although Dieng's playing time dropped to 16.9 minutes in 2017-18 following Minnesota's addition of Taj Gibson, his per-36-minute numbers remained exceptional -- 12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Oh, and he chipped in 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks for good measure. Dieng did all that while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 77.5 percent from the foul line. He posted a pair of 15-point, 11-rebound double-doubles -- one against Charlotte in November and the other versus the Grizzlies in March. Durability is one of the Louisville product's greatest assets, as he played in 79 games this year after playing 82 in each of the prior two campaigns. Dieng's versatility makes him an ideal backup power forward/center option for the T-Wolves.
2016
In his fourth NBA season, Dieng saw his role grow in Minnesota, as he started all 82 games. It was the second straight year that he didn't miss a game, though the big man made 43 more starts than the year before and increased his playing time from 27.1 minutes per game to a career-best 32.4. The Louisville product saw his scoring remain fairly consistent, as he recorded 10.0 points per game after scoring 10.1 points per game in 2016-16. Dieng was once again efficient on offense, as he shot better than 50 percent from the field for the third consecutive season. The 27-year-old continued to stretch his shooting range, as he fired a career-high 43 3-pointers, connecting on 16 of them (37.2 percent) -- that's 16 more attempts and eight more makes than he recorded in his first three years combined. Dieng also continued to knock down a high percentage of his free throws, finishing above 80 percent at the line for the second straight year. The big man scored a season-high 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting against Dallas on Jan. 15. He grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds against the Lakers on Feb. 3. Dieng finished with 13 double-doubles, marking his third consecutive season with 10 or more double-doubles.
2015
Dieng appeared in all 82 games in his third NBA season, making 39 starts whiel working in a frontcourt rotation with rookie Karl-Anthony Towns and veteran Kevin Garnett. Dieng primarily came off the bench behind Garnett early in the season, though he still played more than 20 minutes on a nightly basis. Minnesota shut Garnett down in the second half of the campaign due to a knee injury, which allowed Dieng to move into the starting lineup. The former Louisville star started in each of his final 33 games of the season. As a starter, Dieng averaged 12.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game across 31.1 minutes per night -- a major increase over his 7.9 points and 6.5 rebounds over 23.4 minutes per game as a reserve. Overall, Dieng averaged 10.1 points per game -- a new career high -- to go along with 7.1 rebounds. He scored a career-best 25 points in a game against Oklahoma City on Mar. 11. Dieng tallied a season-high 15 rebounds against Utah on Jan. 29 to go along with 20 points. That was one of 15 double-doubles for the 26-year-old. He also delivered a six-block effort Jan. 12 against the Thunder.
2014
Dieng saw his role increase in his second NBA season. After making 15 starts and averaging 13.6 minutes per game as a rookie, the Louisville product made 49 starts and played 30.0 minutes per night in 2014-15. His production rose significantly with the extra playing time, as Dieng approached a nightly double-double with 9.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The big man from Senegal was efficient on offense, shooting 50.6 percent from the field. He also showed growth at the free-throw line, where he made 78.3 percent of his attempts after shooting 63.4 percent as a rookie. Not surprisingly, Dieng did most of his work inside, as 506 of his 512 field-goal attempts came from 2-point range. That came after a rookie season in which just one of his 227 field-goal attempts came from beyond the arc, establishing Dieng as a more traditional post presence. He went for a career-high-tying 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting against Denver on Jan. 5. Dieng added two other games with at least 20 points, and he scored in double figures 36 times overall in 73 games of action. He had a season-high 18 rebounds against Oklahoma City on Jan. 26 and had 10 or more rebounds in 25 other games. Dieng finished with 18 double-doubles -- twice as many as he recorded in his rookie year.
2013
Dieng, the No. 21 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, appeared in 60 games during his rookie season, making 15 starts and averaging 13.6 minutes per game. He averaged 4.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game across those 60 contests. The former Louisville star saw his role increase as the season progressed, as he averaged 20.7 minutes per game and started six of 14 contests in March after playing fewer than 10 minutes per game in the first four months of the year. Then in April, the Timberwolves let Dieng loose, as he started all nine games and averaged 31.1 minutes per night. Dieng impressed with the increased playing time, averaging a double-double with 11.9 points and 10.7 rebounds along with 2.0 blocks. For the season, Dieng averaged 12.6 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per 36 minutes, showing off the well-balanced game that made him a force in college. He had the best game of his rookie season against Houston on Mar. 20, when he went for a season-high 22 points and 21 rebounds -- making him the first rookie in franchise history to go 20-20. Dieng ended the season hot, posting three double-doubles in the last four games, including a 20-rebound game and a 21-point offensive explosion. He ultimately posted nine double-doubles and was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team.