The Nix are hoping for a second-round pick in 2025 Mohammed Diawara will continue to improve in his sophomore season after a solid rookie campaign that saw him get rotation minutes at times, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post.
At 6’9″ with a 7’4″ wingspan, Diawara has excellent size for a power forward. A teammate And Anunoby believes the 21-year-old has “endless upside” and is “a truly versatile player”. Head coach Mike Brown has seen some growth from Diawara, but he wants him to stay hungry.
“Last year you could tell he was a little nervous when he was there“, Brown said Saturday, “because he didn’t quite know what to do, and he knew that if he did, he just had to go hard. So many times he just played at one speed. Comfort level now, so his cadence is better, especially in attack.
“His ability to communicate on the floor is a little bit higher because he has a better feel, not only offensively, but also defensively — not only what he should do, but what he should tell his teammates to do, especially when he’s on the back or the underside of the defense, because he can see everything in front of him.
“He is one of those players who needs to step up.”
Diawara re-signed with the Knicks four-year, $11.2 million contract as a restricted free agent this offseason.
“It was great. That was the goal. Now we’re back to work” said Diavaro, who added that he is fully recovered from a finger injury suffered in Summer League (Twitter references via James L. Edwards III of The Athletic ).
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- How many minutes will the smaller guards like Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado get this season? Christian Winfield of The New York Daily News explores this question, noting that the team had high net ratings when one of these two guards was paired with Jalen Brunson both in the regular season and the playoffs. They also played well together in a small sample. “They may be small when we look at them, but they bring a certain level of strength, so their fall is not as big as most people think based on their height” Brown said.
- Alvarado said he prefers to return to his hometown team this offseason and is glad the deal went through. Winfield writes. “This is a big one. Just gave that comfort, just that comfort that you stay here and just keep going forward and now I’m just focused on the season” said Alvarado, who signed a three-year, $14.4 million deal from the Knicks.
- The Knicks’ preseason opener is Monday against Philadelphia. Brown says starters will play ‘but not a lot’ according to Schwartz. Instead, the team is focused on evaluating its young players and training camp invitees who are vying for a roster spot. “Any time you have new guys, because we have new guys on our team that we’re trying to mix with the guys that have been here, you’re going to make some mistakes“, Brown said after practice on Saturday.”I’m 100 percent okay with that. The little things I’m looking for are, when someone makes a mistake, how quickly do they try to make up for the mistake? I have a great next playback speed. There will be plenty of mistakes, but will the guys hang their heads, look confused or hesitate?“
