The Knicks don’t seem to have a mystery on their hands so much as a confidence project with Mohamed Diawara.
New York signed the up-and-comer to a four-year deal, but the early returns have been uneven enough to leave the club still searching for a real read on him. The preseason hasn’t exactly cleared things up either. Diawara has flashed, disappeared, and then flashed again, with no steady middle ground in sight.
What stands out most is how much his game has been tied to shot volume. That was true in his rookie year in 2025-26, and it’s been true again in the 2026 preseason.
In the Knicks’ opener, Diawara took eight shots in 17 minutes. Over the next two games, he managed just two field goal attempts in 26 minutes.
That dip has shown up everywhere else, too. He grabbed five rebounds in that first preseason game, then collected five more across 30 minutes in the following two contests combined. When the aggression fades, so does the rest of his production.
For New York, the fix is less about waiting and more about putting him in a better position to be involved. The Knicks have plenty of offense already with OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Jordan Clarkson, Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, and Karl-Anthony Towns. But Diawara offers something different: a chance to develop a young player internally and potentially strengthen the second unit in the process.
That comes with a tradeoff. If the Knicks want the best version of Diawara, they may have to live with the bumps that come from giving him more responsibility. But the upside is obvious enough to justify it.
An assertive Diawara can give them meaningful minutes. He can take the open three, and if his past is any indication, he becomes more active in other areas once his offensive role is clearly defined.
And there’s not much alternative. The Knicks don’t have reserve wings taller than 6'5" who played at least 10 minutes per game last season, so the 6'9" Diawara is the one body type they can lean on here.
What New York has to avoid is letting him drift through games without trying to do much of anything. He can be passive to a point, but right now it feels like a binary choice. That means the coaching staff and the playmakers have to keep him engaged, especially by making sure he’s willing to shoot when he’s open.
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Knicks Have An Early Problem Fans Already Find Frustrating
The preseason is only a tune-up, but the concerns around the Knicks are starting to look familiar already. Minnesota walked into Madison Square Garden and left with a 122-104 win, pushing New York deeper into an 0-3 start while the Timberwolves continued to look sharper in exhibition play. For a Knicks team trying to build momentum before the games count, the latest showing added another layer of unease.
What stood out most was the gap in how the two teams handled the perimeter game, with Minnesota finding a rhythm that New York could not match. The Timberwolves got strong production from Anthony Edwards, who set the tone throughout the night, and the Knicks never quite found a way to answer as the margin widened. At this point, the frustration is less about one preseason loss and more about how quickly an early-season issue can start to feel like a trend. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Preseason Loss Put Several Rotation Hopefuls Under Pressure
The Knicks third preseason game offered a familiar split screen: the main rotation pieces looked largely ready, while the fringe spots in the lineup still feel wide open. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby again gave New York the kind of stable minutes the team wants to see in October, with both veterans setting the tone in a game that also served as a useful stress test for the rest of the roster.
For players trying to hang onto a role, the pressure is starting to sharpen. Landry Shamet and Mohamed Diawara had quieter nights, and several others either flashed a little progress or ran into the same old issue of inefficient shooting. In a preseason stretch like this, the Knicks are not just looking for talent, but for who can fit cleanly around the established core when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Banner Night Could Reignite A Debate Fans Already Feel
Opening night at Madison Square Garden will bring a familiar kind of pageantry, with the Knicks set to raise their 2025-26 NBA championship banner before facing the 76ers. It is the kind of moment the franchise has waited decades to stage, and it will give fans a first look at how the organization chooses to frame a season that ended with a title, an NBA Cup victory and an Eastern Conference championship.
What remains unsettled is how much of that success will get permanent recognition in the rafters. The team has not said whether banners for the NBA Cup or the East crown will join the championship banner, even though owner James Dolan had previously signaled the club would honor the league title rather than the in-season tournament win. So when the lights come up on Oct. 20, part of the conversation may be less about the opponent than about exactly how many new banners are on display. [Read more 🡒]