Peachtree Hoops: 2023-24 Atlanta Hawks player preview: Mouhamed Gueye

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Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

With the 39th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, Mouhamed Gueye landed in the hands of the Atlanta Hawks. While Gueye is not a ‘day one’ player, he has shown flashes as a promising project.

“Mouhamed Gueye was raised in Dakar, Senegal, prior to moving to California at age 16 and attending Prolific Prep. During his time at Washington State, Gueye was named to the 2022 Pac-12 All-Freshman team and First Team All-Pac 12 this season. Gueye nearly doubled his stats in his sophomore campaign, jumping from 7.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists to 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He recorded 15 double-doubles this season, including four games with 15-plus rebounds. He also supplied eight games with at least 20 points.” - NBA.com

In his college years, it was less about his stats and more about how quickly he developed. His jump from freshman to sophomore season was nearly unprecedented, especially for someone who started playing basketball at just 16-years old. He certainly has limited experience compared to other players in the draft class. Gueye played in the ZekeEnd, a Pro-Am basketball tournament, with Dejounte Murray this off-season. On media day he mentioned, “That was my first time playing in a pro run like that...”, an indication of his newness to the game. However, Gueye is listed at 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, an impressive build to potentially wreak havoc defensively. Combine great size with quick development and capable shooting at just 20-years old, and you’ll see a team take a chance on you in the early second-round.

Summer League

Mouhamed Gueye was impressive in the Summer League, capturing the eyes of many Hawks’ fans. In 24.1 minutes per game for 5 games, Gueye’s stats looked like this.

9.6 PTS (42.9 FG%, 37.5 3FG%), 5.2 REB, 1.8 AST, 1.4 BLK, 0.6 STL

Flashes of potential were not few and far between. He finished this summer knocking down six-of-sixteen three-pointers, an impressive leap from his 27.5 three-point percentage in college. More importantly than the shots falling, he showed great confidence in catch and shoot opportunities. Objectively, his jump shot looks very smooth.

Back-to-back 3s for Mo Gueye pic.twitter.com/45WRBpHnfo

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) July 10, 2023

Of players with a 5-game minimum, Gueye’s 1.4 blocks per game would rank him top-15 in all of Summer League. However, he didn’t even crack the top-100 in blocks per game in college, which is why one must tread carefully when evaluating Summer League stats.

However, one under-the-radar facet to his game that translated from college was his offensive rebounding. He tallied 111 offensive rebounds (3.4 per game) during his sophomore campaign at Washington State, and finished Summer League with 2.2 offensive rebounds per game. These aren’t eye-popping numbers, but it is something to note as he was primarily playing in the 4-spot this summer. On media day, Gueye noted that rebounding is one thing he’s certain will translate to the league.

In short, Mouhamed Gueye is a high-potential player who has earned the belief of key figures like Quin Snyder and Trae Young. Trae Young, in particular, expressed his excitement about sharing the court with Gueye in an episode of his From the Point podcast, showing the optimism surrounding this emerging talent. As Gueye continues to adapt to the NBA, he could become a player to watch in the coming seasons.

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