It’s important sometimes to reflect on the finer things in life. The smell of bacon cooking in the morning, a hot cup of your favorite coffee, a pretty girl smiling at you on the train, gimpsuits, reptilian pets, any and all the little idiosyncrasies that make your tiny, self-constructed worlds so wonderful to inhabit. Then there are things in this world that are universal joys: long walks on the beach at sunset, a bottle of wine and a fire on a snowy night, but most importantly, Gorgui Dieng’s pump fake.
Seriously, have you seen it? It’s incredible.
The prototypical Gorgui fake-out is a slow-moving affair. It starts with a deep jabstep, practically a lunge, and is followed by a hypnotic arching of the back and raising of the ball to about a foot directly above his head. What comes next can vary, a bank-shot jumper, a quick blow-by, or a big jam. What doesn’t vary is its beauty.
But don’t you dare think that this is a move of shallow beauty. Dieng is no Christiano Ronaldo circa 2010, stepping over the ball in a beautiful whir of feet but going nowhere, nor is he this guy, who I’m pretty sure is drunk and thinks he’s in a production of Flashdance. According to Jordan Foley, a writer over at Vantage Sport, during the 2014-2015 season, his second year in the league, Dieng compiled the 10th-most pump fakes in the league (40).
That’s a lot of fakery, right? But get this: according to the same data, last season, Dieng had the second-highest FG% in the league following a pump fake (53.6%). Only J.J. Reddick (pre-tattoo sleeve) had a higher percentage (54.5%). Clearly, Dieng is onto something here.
I couldn’t find data for this current season, but I can only assume that his already-sublime trickery is aging like a fine wine. After all, this is the pump fake that once cause noted NBA-talker Kevin Pelton to call it a pump fake.
Gorgui Dieng pump fake!
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) December 17, 2013
And here’s the best part: it will get better. I know, I know, despite this only being his third season, Dieng is already 26. History says the player he is now is the player he’ll be going forward, for the most part. Luckily for him, many of the things he needs to work on to become a better player will come with age and experience, like improving his jumper, his passing, and fine-tuning his nearly perfect pump fake. Luckily, he’s got a mentor for that. And what a mentor it is.
Dieng is pretending to only be half-listening so he doesn’t look like a nerd on camera, but he’s soaking up all that spittle-accompanied knowledge like a sponge. I for one am looking forward to many years of punking fools with devastating pump fakes and jump shots that look not unlike a LA-Z-Boy unfolding.
If you want to see more Dieng pump fakes (and let’s be real, you do), watch this nine-minute video, which is chalk-full of em. Or at least the first two minutes.
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