Ryan Saunders had a brief flashback earlier this month during Minnesota’s home loss to Memphis.

The second Andrew Wiggins started to drive baseline in the first quarter, Keita Bates-Diop cut through the slot on the opposite side of the floor and dove into the paint, where Wiggins found him for an easy bucket.

Saunders saw that cut many times last season from one specific player — Luol Deng.

“I think being with Luol helped (Keita) with that,” Saunders said.

Indeed.

“Any time someone drives baseline and I’m on the wing, I just cut from that slot and hit right in front of the basket,” Bates-Diop said. “That’s definitely a Lu cut.”

That’s far from the only thing Bates-Diop picked up in his one season as a teammate of the former all-star.

“I picked up a lot,” Bates-Diop recently told a group of reporters. “Like, a little more than you guys think.”

IDOL TO TEAMMATE

Bring up Bates-Diop’s name to Deng, or vice versa, and the initial reaction from either player will be the exact same — “That’s my guy.”

That’s been true for Bates-Diop for years.

He grew up in central Illinois, about two hours southeast of Chicago. The Bulls were his NBA team. He was just getting into the pro league as the Bulls were growing into a winner with the likes of Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and Deng.

So imagine the initial shock when, in his rookie season in Minnesota, Bates-Diop became teammates with all three.

“Those first couple days in the locker room, I was like ‘Man,’ ” Bates-Diop said. “My friends back home were texting me, ‘What’s Derrick like? What’s Lu like? What’s Taj like?’ I’m like ‘Man, it’s just like crazy.’ It was like my childhood dream growing up; it was amazing. But I never said anything. I was just trying to stay as humble as I could, but it was crazy.”

Deng, specifically, was one of Bates-Diop’s favorite players.

“He was one of everybody’s favorite players because of how he went about his work and how he played” Bates-Diop said. “He was a good dude all around.”

But the contact between the two was somewhat limited for the first part of the season. Deng was a veteran, and Bates-Diop didn’t want to force himself upon his idol.

But he knew he should. Everyone, particularly those in the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program, emphasized how important it was for rookies to lean on veterans. Who better than Deng, who was in his 15th year in the league?

Finally, while in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve, Bates-Diop attempted to pick Deng’s brain. Deng couldn’t have been more open.

Soon after, Bates-Diop went back down to the G-League team in Iowa, but as soon as he came back, he continued firing questions off at Deng, building a relationship in the process.

“I’ve always tried to help those who wanted help,” Deng said by phone this week. “I don’t push guys out of their comfort zone. I let guys know what I think and what I think can help their game, and I don’t push it. It’s up to them to keep coming back and wanting more and I think with Keita, he always wanted to learn. He’s been a big fan, watched me a lot when he was younger and wanted to take advantage to do it, and I was happy that he wanted to do that.”

ROUTINE

One of the first lessons stemmed from a question Deng actually asked Bates-Diop: Do you have a routine?

He did not. That needed to change.

Deng’s entire career was routine-driven. He usually wasn’t even with the Wolves on the floor near the start of the game last year because he was still stretching. That was what he did.

Routine, Deng said, is what a lot of guys are missing. Bates-Diop has finally found his.

After shootaround, the now second-year wing goes home, showers, eats and takes a nap that’s not to exceed an hour and a half.

He then gets up and watches some film, and then relaxes with a little television before heading to the arena. He only wants to arrive between 10 and 15 minutes prior to when he’s supposed to be on the court or in the training room.

Bates-Diop said having a routine is the more important thing Deng instilled in him.

“Because that will carry with you wherever you go,” he said. “The routine has to stay consistent. The game may change, the play style may change, but the routine needs to stay the same.”

WATCH AND LEARN

Bates-Diop was younger, faster and more athletic than Deng last season, but Deng was far better. That was the case with most Wolves not named Karl-Anthony Towns.

In the 14 consecutive games from late January through late February in which Deng played 10-plus minutes — averaging 24 minutes a game — Minnesota went 7-7.

The Timberwolves went 36-46 last season, yet when Deng was on the floor, they outscored their opponents by 10 points per 100 possessions.

Why?

“He was always the smartest guy out there for us,” Bates-Diop said. “He just knew how to play the game, he’d always find little cuts and be open around the basket. … His mind is on another level.”

It was Deng’s spacing and slashing on offense and positioning on defense that almost seemed to unlock Minnesota as a team. The little things made a big difference. If Bates-Diop, at his age with his skill set, can incorporate some of Deng’s thinking into his game, it will only elevate his game.

“He was doing those things in Year 14, 15, so I’m like, ‘Why shouldn’t I do those things in Year 1, 2, 7?’ ” Bates-Diop said. “How can I not do it? That’s what I was thinking.”

Bates-Diop noted that Deng was “a simple player” who made simple plays without taking too many dribbles. It’s the type of player he aspires to be. He looks the part this season.

“He’s been a guy that just plays within himself,” Saunders said.

SENSE OF URGENCY

Deng noted that second-round picks, as Bates-Diop was, and undrafted players don’t get the same amount of time to prove themselves as first-round selections are afforded.

“Patience really runs thin,” Deng said.

So as Bates-Diop was trying to learn and improve on the fly, Deng told him everyone has different opportunities, and he needed to make the best out of his. That included leaning on veterans.

“That’s what I wanted him to do was be a sponge,” Deng said, “and that’s exactly what he was doing.”

Deng harps on the importance of being great at one thing. That, he finds, is the key to sticking around the NBA for a long time. Bates-Diop has actually selected a few things: defense and efficient shooting.

“A lot of the same things he does … to be honest,” Bates-Diop said.

So far, so good. After starting the season in Iowa, Bates-Diop is shooting 47 percent from 3-point range. He leads the team in effective field goal percentage at 64 percent. His defense real plus-minus, a stat constructed by ESPN to calculate an individual’s on-court impact — is tops among the team’s wings.

Deng doesn’t see many games — he spends much of his newfound free time traveling — but he watched as Bates-Diop scored 16 points in nine shots in a recent road win over San Antonio. Deng admits it’s rewarding to watch his friend succeed.

“With Keita, his thing is he can do it, he can play,” Deng said.

Now it’s up to the Wolves’ coaches to put their full faith in him.

“It’s just about believing in him and giving him the time to actually develop,” Deng said. “If he was a top pick, he would definitely be trusted and be given more time to do what he’s got to do, but now he has to prove himself to earn minutes.”

LASTING FRIENDSHIP

There were countless times last season when Bates-Diop would go to the practice facility at 6, 7 p.m. after practice or on an off day, and Deng was often already there. The two share similar work ethics, and personalities.

While getting in their work, they would converse and grow closer.

“It’s nice, just [with] good people, you know, to kind of click like that,” Bates-Diop said. “We just kind of click.”

The two shared just one season together as teammates — and Bates-Diop spent some of that time in Iowa with the G-League team — yet they remain close. The two stay connected through text and are both invested in one another’s lives. Bates-Diop said Deng’s lessons will remain with him forever, and he’s still learning more. Related Articles Timberwolves use team camp to collect more data on roster of unknowns

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Deng pays attention to how Bates-Diop is playing and Bates-Diop keeps up with what Deng is doing in retirement. The bonds that form the quickest, Bates-Diop said, are the truest.

“More important than anything, throughout my 15 years in the NBA, what I enjoyed the most was really the relationships that you develop,” Deng said.

“I have guys that I played with that were really, really good basketball players, but not necessarily guys that I’ve kept in touch with. And I’ve got guys where we’ve barely spent time together on times — maybe a year, maybe less — and still communicate, because, besides basketball, they’re good people. And that’s what Keita really is, and I think a lot of people can see that. It really reflects on his behavior and how he treats people.”