The Atlanta Hawks apparently do not know what they should do with Mouhamed Gueye. The third-year big out of Washington State has broken out as a true defensive star this season with his aggressive free safety-esque help defense. Opponents shoot 12.1% worse at the rim with Gueye on the floor, get to the paint 3.9% less often, and turn the ball over 2.2% more frequently.
Gueye is the type of player who can clearly be one of the best on the court, despite modest averages of 7.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals + blocks (stocks) in 16 minutes a night. The Hawks have been forced to lean on the Senegalese big man more than anticipated after losing Kristaps Porzingis and Jalen Johnson to a series of minor injuries.
Gueye has thrived when given the opportunity, averaging 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 stocks in three games with over 20 minutes played. This was headlined by a truly dominant performance against a shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers team, where he dropped 21/7/7 with 3 stocks.
Despite this career performance from Gueye, he received just 8 minutes of playing time against the Los Angeles Clippers the following game. Sure, Porzingis and Johnson returned to action, and Vit Krejci had a career performance of his own, but this inconsistency in minutes is simply inexcusable.
The Hawks must find a permanent spot in the rotation for Mo
The Hawks’ pecking order is fairly straightforward at the top. Trae Young and Johnson are the stars the team is built around. A tier below lies Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels, two exciting young prospects who are already playing at a starter-caliber level.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu join the two young stars in the second tier as experienced players who also deserve starter minutes. Porzingis falls somewhere between these two tiers, but can only play 25 minutes a night due to his injury record.
Gueye has made his case that he belongs in the second tier of the rotation. He isn’t as polished as NAW or Okongwu, nor was he a top-8 pick like Risacher or Daniels. If given a serious role in the team, however, Gueye could prove to be the best player of this five-man bunch. He has arguably looked better than Okongwu and Risacher when given the chance, and he's not far off from challenging NAW and Daniels.
Quin Snyder must get creative to involve Gueye more frequently, as the Hawks have a deep frontcourt rotation. Regardless, it would be coaching malpractice not to find a way for Gueye to play at least 20 minutes a night.