DALLAS – After getting drafted in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft, Mouhamed Gueye knew adaptability would be key to his future.
If he wanted to stick in the league, the wiry big man figured, he’d have to add new wrinkles to his game after averaging 14.3 points and 8.4 rebounds in his final season at Washington State.
“At WSU I was a scorer,” Gueye said, now in his third NBA season with the Atlanta Hawks, who open the playoffs on Saturday at 3 p.m. in New York against the Knicks. “Coming to the league, you’ve got to figure it out when you go to a team and everybody is a superstar already.
“I’ve found my niche on the defensive end,” he said.
Gueye displayed his offensive skills and rebounding prowess at WSU for two seasons before declaring for the draft in 2023. The athletic big man made the Pac-12’s All-Freshman team, and earned first-team honors the following season.
But with the Hawks it’s been a different story. After playing just six games as a rookie and 33 in his second season, including 28 starts, Gueye – at 6-foot-11 with a 7-3 wingspan – has established himself as a rotation player who can guard just about anyone. He played in 77 regular-season games this season.
“I think I’m one of the best defenders in the league … being able to switch one through five,” he said following a game in Dallas last month. “That’s how I was able to earn my minutes and from there, just keep growing my game. I would say a lot has changed, especially how I play and everything.”
While his numbers don’t pop off the page (4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds), his versatility has been invaluable to a team that finally avoided the play-in game for the first time since Gueye’s arrival, grabbing the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed.
“I’m excited (about getting to the playoffs),” Gueye said. “That’s all you play for, to get a chance (at the title) and we’re going in the right direction. You can’t help but get excited.”
Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley drives into the body of Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye on April 8 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. (Tribune News Service)
Beyond his Hawks’ rise, he’s also been thrilled to see several fellow Cougs thriving in the NBA. That obviously starts with WSU legend Klay Thompson, who wrapped up his second season with the Mavericks after winning four NBA titles with Golden State.
“Every time I see him, we say ‘Go Cougs,’ and he reminds me how proud he is of me,” Gueye said. “I feel the same way towards him. Just him being resilient after his injury and coming back, it just shows you who he is as a person and really somebody you can follow.”
The growing NBA fraternity of WSU products also includes Jaylen Wells and Cedric Coward at Memphis, and Isaac Jones at Detroit.
“You can’t even describe the feeling when you see a fellow Coug be in the league,” Gueye said. “Obviously, there’s not a lot of us here, but we want as many as we can get.
“Obviously, Klay is the model,” he said. “We look up to him. I think Jaylen and Cedric are doing a great job in Memphis and hopefully we will have many more Cougs in the NBA.”
Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.
