Mouhamed Gueye spent his first three NBA seasons learning how to survive in a league full of stars, and now he is walking into the playoffs with a role that fits. The Atlanta Hawks open their postseason Saturday at 3 p.m. in New York against the Knicks after finishing the regular season as the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed.
Gueye, drafted in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft, said he had to adjust quickly after arriving in the league. At Washington State, he was the scorer, averaging 14.3 points and 8.4 rebounds in his final season. With the Hawks, the 6-foot-11 forward with a 7-3 wingspan said he has made his name on the other end of the floor.
“At WSU I was a scorer,” Gueye said. “Coming to the league, you’ve got to figure it out when you go to a team and everybody is a superstar already.”
That shift has defined his climb. He played only six games as a rookie, then appeared in 33 games with 28 starts in his second season. This year, he played in 77 regular-season games and helped Atlanta avoid the play-in game for the first time since he arrived.
“I’ve found my niche on the defensive end,” Gueye said. “I think I’m one of the best defenders in the league … being able to switch one through five.”
The numbers back up the role change. Gueye said, “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.”
The Hawks now need that version of him in a first-round matchup that starts in New York. Gueye said he was excited to get there and framed the postseason as the point of the season for every player chasing a title.
“I’m excited (about getting to the playoffs),” he 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.”
Washington State’s NBA fraternity keeps growing around him, with Klay Thompson, Jaylen Wells, Cedric Coward and Isaac Jones among the Cougars now in the league. Gueye said Thompson has been a model for that path, pointing to the four-time champion’s comeback and longevity as something younger players can follow.
“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.” He added, “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.”
For Gueye, the sight of more Cougars in the NBA still carries weight. “You can’t even describe the feeling when you see a fellow Coug be in the league,” he said. “Obviously, there’s not a lot of us here, but we want as many as we can get.”
He said, “Obviously, Klay is the model. 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.”
Atlanta’s playoff run will test whether Gueye’s defensive niche can travel. It already earned him a place in the rotation; now it has to hold up when the games count most.
