Legends for Atlanta Hawks big man Gorgui Dieng to study No. 1) Kevin Garnett
One of the premier big men to play the game in the last 20 years, Kevin Garnett was incredibly active on both ends of the court. He came at you on offense with such a mixed range of shots. While he was not a good 3-point shooter, he took 54.4 percent of his shots from between ten feet and the 3-point line.
That is not to say that he was not effective inside. If he got close to the rim he made 68.5 percent of his shots thanks to his length, athleticism, and power. He did not give anyone a steady diet of anything and this made him so hard to defend.
Defensively, Garnett was even better. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2007-08, which is the season that he won his only title. He did not allow his player to get comfortable on offense, putting in a huge effort every night.
Dieng is already a solid defender with good shooting range. He is not on the same level as Garnett but certainly shows promise. Dieng already has another defensive leader at center in the form of Clint Capela so if he can try to glean some tips of Capela and study Garnett, Dieng could be incredibly effective.