Mbaye Ndiaye’s arrival at Olympiacos adds a very specific set of qualities to the roster: athleticism, intensity and defensive versatility at the four position. The Senegalese forward is not coming to Piraeus to be a star or a focal point of the offense. His role will be to provide value in areas that do not necessarily show up in the box score and, in doing so, complement a roster packed with playmaking and offensive talent.
For Ndiaye, the move also marks his first departure from the competitive comfort of France and ASVEL, a project that entered the season with high ambitions but has gradually seen several of its key pieces move on. For the player himself, however, the move to Greece comes at an intriguing point in his career.
The 2025-26 season was not only his best statistical campaign in the EuroLeague; it was also the first in which he consistently played more than 23 minutes per game. He had averaged 15.8 and 19.5 minutes in his previous two EuroLeague seasons. Olympiacos, therefore, are getting a player who appears to have finally found his role and footing at EuroLeague level.
At the same time, Ndiaye’s arrival leaves the door open for Olympiacos to add another player who operates primarily at the three, potentially sliding to the four as well, and can consistently punish defenses in catch-and-shoot situations. Such a player would provide the necessary spacing for Olympiacos’ guards while complementing Ndiaye’s very different skill set.
Offensive profile
Offensively, Ndiaye is a player who does most of his damage around the basket. In last season’s EuroLeague, he shot 85-for-122 from two-point range, good for 69.7%, with much of his production coming away from the ball.
He is not the kind of player who will receive the ball in the low post or at the top of the key and create his own shot or manufacture offense for others. His offensive value comes primarily through cuts, offensive rebounds, transition, finishes around the rim, dives after setting screens, attacking close-outs and, more generally, his ability to impact the game without the ball.
His advanced numbers reinforce that profile:
TS% 55.0% | eFG% 53.9% | USG% 16.8% | ORB% 9.0% | DRB% 18.4% | TRB% 13.4% | AST% 9.4% | BLK% 6.5%
The 16.8% usage rate is particularly telling. It reflects a player who does not need a significant offensive workload to have an impact. In essence, Ndiaye is a low-usage complementary player, which could be an ideal fit on a roster featuring several players who need the ball in their hands.
However, these are not necessarily the qualities Olympiacos are missing. More importantly, they are not the main reason the player was brought in.
The three-point shot is the biggest concern
Ndiaye shot just 10-for-57 from three, or 17.5%, in the 2025-26 EuroLeague season — a very low percentage for a modern forward, particularly on an Olympiacos roster that does not feature shooting bigs.
That number has a direct impact on the team’s spacing. Opponents can treat him as a non-shooter, shrink the floor and pack the paint, making life more difficult both for Nikola Milutinov and for the Olympiacos guards who rely on driving lanes to attack and create.
This is where Olympiacos’ coaching staff will have to find the right tactical solutions and identify the lineups in which Ndiaye can provide the most value.
The defensive package is the reason for the move
If there is one area in which the Senegalese forward stands out, it is defense. Ndiaye possesses an excellent physical profile for his position: 2.03m in height, a long wingspan, a strong frame, explosiveness and very good lateral movement. He can handle a variety of matchups and operate effectively both on and off the ball.
In the 2025-26 EuroLeague season, he averaged 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks in 23.7 minutes per game, numbers that underline his activity and intensity on the defensive end. And it is not just about the blocks and rim protection. Ndiaye has the explosiveness to cover ground quickly, the lateral mobility to stay with faster players, good recovery ability and a natural feel as a weak-side helper. He is not afraid of contact and is also a reliable rebounder.
Above all, the Senegalese forward gives his coach the option to use more defensive schemes, switch more often and even go small with Ndiaye at the center position. That is probably the main basketball reason behind his acquisition.
He is not the “anti-Peters”
Adding such an athletic player alongside Sasha Vezenkov gives Olympiacos a completely different skill set at the four position, one that was previously missing from the roster. If Ndiaye were a reliable catch-and-shoot threat, I would say Olympiacos had found almost exactly the player they needed: a forward with a defensive mindset, athleticism and the tools to play the four, offering a different dimension from Vezenkov without requiring many possessions.
The question, however, is how he will fit alongside Olympiacos’ centers. The available fives do not provide the kind of spacing that would allow such a non-shooting forward to operate freely at the four. And that may be the biggest question surrounding the move.
As long as opponents can leave Ndiaye open on the perimeter without fearing the shot, they will have more freedom to pack the paint and limit the space available to Olympiacos’ guards. That is why adding another forward at the three, one who can provide a reliable catch-and-shoot threat, could be particularly important for the final shape of the roster.
Where Ndiaye can make his biggest impact
My expectation is that we will see Ndiaye more often in lineups designed to play fast. He can be at his best when he is part of a group that turns defense into transition offense. The presence of players such as Montero and Ward, for example, could create the conditions for him to fully exploit his athleticism and speed.
I do not expect many plays or sets to be specifically designed around him. His value will come more from how Olympiacos reads and attacks the opponent’s team defense. An aggressive hedge on a pick-and-roll, a double-team on Milutinov, or a defense that shifts its attention toward the ball handler — these are the moments when Ndiaye can punish the defense with a well-timed cut to the basket.
In games where the pace slows down and the action is played primarily in the half court, I would not expect Ndiaye to see heavy minutes, especially if the opposing defense is comfortable leaving him open on the perimeter. When, however, coach Bartzokas needs a more athletic and defensive lineup, more switching, greater ball pressure, transition opportunities and second-chance possessions, the Senegalese forward can become much more valuable.
And that is perhaps the most important thing to understand about his role: Olympiacos are not acquiring a player around whom they will build their offense. They are acquiring a player who can become more effective because Olympiacos’ offense already works. For players who are not particularly effective with the ball in their hands and do not naturally create their own shots, joining a team that operates with such structure can be an ideal environment. Ndiaye does not need to search for his game. He needs to exploit the gaps created by everyone else.
The former ASVEL forward has arrived in Piraeus with a very specific role in mind — and his signing may also offer a small hint at what Olympiacos’ next move could look like.
