Mouhamed Gueye #18 of the Atlanta Hawks (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Going from Alabama to Minnesota and Georgia to Ohio, there was no shortage of travel for Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye last week. In six days, the 22-year-old played in four different cities, north and south, in two different leagues.
“I mean, it's been great. This is just hoop,” Gueye told RG in a sitdown interview in Cleveland last Monday. “I love basketball, so it's been just hooping. I can't complain if I'm playing basketball.”
Two Sundays ago in Birmingham, Gueye put up 17 points and 10 rebounds with a pair of assists and a steal as a part of the College Park Skyhawks in the G League. That next morning, the Hawks recalled him to the main roster for the ninth time this season and had him fly up to Minneapolis to play for the big club for the first time since Nov. 4.
Then, on the second leg of a road-home back-to-back, he and the team returned to Atlanta, where he made his first career NBA start on Tuesday night vs. the Houston Rockets.
“It feels great,” Gueye said. “It's a dream when you're a kid to start in an NBA game. But most importantly, just [doing] whatever the team needs you to do to help them win. I'm just excited to be on the court, honestly. Starting or not, it don't matter. You've got to help the team win. But, it feels pretty good, to be honest.”
Next Man Up
Gueye scored a season-high 11 points, pulled down seven rebounds and recorded a block, holding his own against Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun in a hard-fought battle with one of the hottest squads in the league right now.
“I think I was there defensively,” Gueye said in evaluating his performance.
“Obviously, you want to knock down shots, but as long as you're bringing the energy, it doesn't matter if you make or miss. Just bring the energy and be there.”
After one idle half-day at home, Gueye accompanied the team to Cleveland as it began a three-game road trip. Although the result wasn’t in Atlanta’s favor – and it hadn’t been for two weeks until a 132-130 win over the Detroit Pistons – you saw moments that indicate the kind of potential the Senegalese forward has.
Not many players in the league can say they’ve blocked Donovan Mitchell and beat Jarrett Allen down the floor in succession for an alley-oop slam in the same sequence at all, lest a player with as little NBA experience as Gueye. His athleticism popped just from the ground he covered on each end in a matter of eight seconds.
It just goes to show that practice can indeed make perfect, especially when you’re learning from Ekpe Udoh.
A former sixth overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Udoh was a sound defender everywhere he went, including the latter part of last decade when he played for Quin Snyder in Utah. Now, as an assistant on Atlanta’s staff, he’s paying it forward.
“I think I worked on everything. We were doing defensive slides with Ekpe when nobody was watching,” Gueye said of his developmental focuses. “I think I worked on my defense a lot. Obviously, I work on my shot every time I can, but I think it's just overall working on my game and just trying to be the best version of me.”
College Park is where Gueye has spent the majority of this season, after playing just a handful of games last year due to a back injury. He’s averaged 11.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists, adding over a steal and nearly a block in 23 contests.
That is significant progress, and in particular, his three-point clip of 39.3% stands out on almost four attempts a night. However, he’s continuously focused on getting stops.
“Probably what I think I've improved the most is just being active with my hands, being a disruptor, more than just making threes,” Gueye said. “Just being able to affect the game with my defense, trying to mess the other teams' offense up.”
Now the head coach of the Skyhawks, following Quin Snyder from Utah, Steve Klei is in charge of the Hawks’ pipeline in the G League. It makes the connection between the two programs that much closer.
It also makes conversations of roster promotions a little easier.
Promoting From Within
As injuries pile up for the Atlanta Hawks, the team has been forced to rely on its depth, calling on players from the College Park Skyhawks to step in and contribute. This fluid movement between the NBA and G League has highlighted the importance of maintaining continuity across both teams, ensuring that players can transition seamlessly when their opportunity arises. Head coach Quin Snyder recognizes the challenges of balancing rotations while fostering player development, and he credits the Skyhawks staff for preparing players like Mo Gueye to step in and make an impact when needed.
“It’s really important,” Snyder said, wearing a College Park long-sleeve shirt in a pregame press conference in Cleveland. “I think externally, it becomes evident when you have situations like this where we have rotational guys that are two-ways and Mo’s been in College Park. I call [Steve] and apologize to him that we’re taking his rotation.”
Snyder emphasized the importance of synergy between the Atlanta Hawks and their G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, especially when players transition between the two. He acknowledged the challenges of maintaining consistency in rotations while also ensuring player development remains a priority. This connection between the two teams allows players like Mo Gueye to step into NBA action with a sense of familiarity, making their transition smoother and more effective.
Snyder has had to pick up the phone a little too much lately. In the winter months, Atlanta has been bombarded by injuries and setbacks. Perhaps the most devastating blow is rising star Jalen Johnson’s torn labrum, which the team recently learned will keep him out for the rest of the season.
“We hate seeing people get injured, but the next man's gotta be up,” Gueye explained. “I think we're ready for that. We're just going to embrace it and just have fun with it.”
Between travel and fluctuating playing time, last week seemed hectic from the outside looking in, but Gueye is taking the transition in stride with plenty of support.
“It's been easy because I've got good teammates,” Gueye said. “They're helping me, the coaching staff, everybody's making it easy for me. But it's honestly just basketball. Wherever you go, if you compete, you can play. If you can't compete, you can't play. Just be out there competing.”
“All of a sudden, you step on a private plane instead of walking through the security at the airport. You realize you’re with the Hawks and not the Skyhawks,” Snyder said.
“A lot of things that these guys are putting time in and work in that oftentimes, as a coach, you’ll say keep working, stay ready and all those things that sound like platitudes. And then suddenly, it’s real. When guys are able to do that, because it’s really hard to do, to see circumstances give them those opportunities can be gratifying.”
While Gueye hasn’t seen the floor in the last couple of games, it’s only a matter of time before the Hawks ask him to step up when his number is called.
There will be a legitimate role for him to fill, and when Atlanta needs that, he’ll be ready.
“Just keep doing what I'm doing, be aggressive on defense and on offense,” Gueye told RG. “Obviously, I'm gonna knock down shots. It's gonna come. But just keep working and don't worry about anything else. It's the same mindset. Just be there, compete, play hard. Make or miss a shot, next play. Really just competing.”
Spencer Davies
