“It would be a lie to say that it is easy to have such a season”

For his fourth season in Oklahoma City, Ousmane Dieng he’s enjoying his team’s historic run while still stuck on the bench. Over the last three seasons, the Frenchman has played an average of 11 minutes per game.

His presence on the field is often associated with several absences by teammates or a significant deficit in the fourth quarter. This night in Golden State, he achieved his fourth “failure” in a row.

The wing is still part of a very tight group. No one can take away his championship ring or the chance to be part of a team that can pull off the Warriors’ first double-double in 2017 and 2018.

Before the game, we spoke with him about the dominant start to the season, the Warriors’ winning record and the lack of playing time.

Usman, you started the season as NBA champion for the first time, does that change anything in your collective approach?

No, I don’t think so. Of course we are the team to beat, but for us we really take it game by game. It’s a cliché, but it really is. We know we can’t just rely on last season’s success to win the match and try to win another title. So we really stay focused on that.

Your coach said before the game that your group knows how to handle all the hype surrounding your title and the start of the season. Is it hard to keep going despite everything?

Not really because we’ve had this philosophy for three seasons now. Even when we weren’t favourites, or even when we weren’t winning as many matches, we had the same approach. So it’s a habit we’ve gotten into, and it’s kind of become second nature.

Have you noticed a change in the approach of your opponents? It is often said that a champion must face the best level of his opponents. Is that so or does your dominance create fear in them?

No, not at all, it’s quite the opposite. Like you said, every night we know we’re going to get the best shot from our opponents and the staff has done a good job of preparing us for that. And in a way it helps us not to rest on our laurels. We know that if we relax, we can lose, so this allows us to stay focused.

“For now, I’m here, so I’m 100% focused on the Thunder, on how I can help the team win, and we’ll see what happens next.”

You started the season with 20 wins in 21 games despite the season-opening absence of Jalen Williams and injuries to Lou Dort, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. We knew the depth of your bench, but how do you explain your team not dropping in level despite the absences?

Everyone stays ready to play. Everyone knows their role and when someone is absent, it allows us to stay on the same level, with the same energy.

You are personally in the same situation as in recent seasons. Is it hard to stay focused on a daily basis when you don’t know if you’re going to play or when you have to rely on teammates’ absences to get playing time?

of course. It would be a lie to say that it is easy to have such a season. But I’m used to it anyway, so I’m working on being ready when I get the chance to play. And then, we don’t want to disappoint the rest of the team, we want to make sure we can replace another player if needed. So whatever happens, I’m ready.

Despite all the success you’ve achieved here, do you have desires to be somewhere else, where you might not earn as much, but where you could have more time to play?

Of course, it’s human. I can’t think that way though. I am focused on what I can show when I have the opportunity. I’m here right now, so I’m 100% focused on the Thunder, how I can help the team win, and we’ll see what happens next.

Chet Holmgren saw the start of last season marred by injuries. This year, he was decisive in the first quarter of the season. How much has he improved compared to last season?

He’s had two major injuries in the last three seasons, but he’s someone who works a lot. He talks a lot in training, but also in matches. He obviously brings us a lot on both ends of the court.

Offensively, we feel he is sharper in his decision making.

Yes, that was one of his areas of improvement that he wanted to work on this summer. The coach talked about it, both for Chet and for the group, about making better decisions, but also faster. He’s been doing it well since the start of the season, and that’s one of the reasons why we’re working so hard.

Collectively, if you’ve kept the same offensive base, you’ve also brought a little more movement this season. What else does it add to your attack?

Are we moving more than before? I don’t know, maybe. For us, we don’t feel it. We have the impression that we are doing the same as in previous years. Then we have systems that have obviously changed, and then it’s our second season with this group so that helps, but our offensive base is the same as last year.

“We are really a family, a group of friends”

Defensively, you are again by far the best defense in the league. Cason Wallace received the trophy for the best defender of the Western Conference for the month of October-November. A few of you shared the news on social media. We truly feel that you are pleased with each other’s success. That’s not always the case in the NBA.

We are truly a family, a group of friends. We are all more or less the same age. Everyone pushes themselves every day. For example, Cason (Wallace) and Caruso, they have interception contests during games (laughs). Such things are funny. The atmosphere is really great and we have a lot of fun playing together.

You talk about interceptions, you have a very aggressive defense to cause turnovers. Do you feel that more and more teams are trying to copy this strategy?

Are they trying to copy us? I don’t know. After that, the game becomes more physical and, in general, everyone is trying to play as the defending champion. I’m focused on our team, so I admit I wasn’t really paying attention.

Tonight you play the Warriors. You have a record of 20 wins and 1 loss. They hold the record for wins in a season (73) and you started on similar footing. Is this record something you’re starting to think about?

As a team, or for my teammates, I don’t know. We never talked about it in the locker room for example. I’ve already thought about it. It is mandatory. The Warriors are a team that I watched when I was a kid and they were one of the best teams in history, so it’s obviously in the back of my mind, but we don’t talk about it between us.

Having the opportunity to break this record, is that something you realize?

I guess I don’t get it yet. It’s something incredible and I hope we break this record, but the most important thing is the title.

You finally made it to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. You lost in the final in the previous edition, is winning one of your goals for the season?

Absolutely. The goal remains. Like you said, we lost last year in the final, so it’s something close to our hearts. And then there’s the big prize, especially for our two-way players. It’s still a good amount of money, so everyone is motivated to win the cup.

Comments collected in San Francisco.

How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.