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The Nets have looked at several wing players during the last month in preparation for the NBA Draft.
But in their final draft workout ahead of tonight’s draft at Barclays Center, the headlining talent at the team’s New Jersey practice facility was Louisville center Gorgui Dieng — who could be on the board when the Nets are on the clock with the 22nd pick in the draft.
“I don’t know where I’m going right now,” Dieng said after his workout. “But if I end up here, I will be very excited.”
Dieng averaged 9.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks as a junior for Louisville this past season, anchoring the Cardinals’ defense as they won the national championship. He is attractive to plenty of teams in the latter half of the first round for his combination of athleticism and a strong defensive presence. But the 6-foot-11, 230-pound big man also could contribute at the offensive end, where he’s a good passer and has the potential for a decent mid-range jumper.
“I think the encouraging thing is his offensive game,” Nets director of player personnel Gregg Polinsky said. “If you saw him in his early years at Louisville, he has developed. He’s a guy that is unselfish, which is the way they play there.
“He’s found a little bit of a niche offensively, making the jump shot and I think his low post game will continue to develop because he seems like a kid who is seriously committed, and has some goals of where he wants to be.”
Dieng had eight points, eight rebounds and six assists in Louisville’s national championship game win over Michigan, including hitting several jumpers, and said he has been working on his offense for some time.
“That’s what coaches have been teaching me,” he said. “Playing defense, and working on my offensive game.”
Dieng, who is from Senegal, has seen his stock take a bit of a hit because of the fact he’s already 23 years old, and will turn 24 during next season. But for a team like the Nets, who want to find a player who could help right away, an older player such as Dieng who has immediate NBA skills — defense and rebounding — could be appealing.
“I think he’s got a chance [to step into a rotation right away],” Polinsky said. “You don’t want to speak for any team and, obviously, that would be up to Coach [Jason] Kidd if, in fact, he were to land here.
“He definitely has a maturity about him and a presence, and I think we saw that over the course of his career [at Louisville] and particularly this year, as they made their run to the title.”
tbontemps@nypost.com