Mohamed Diawara’s path to the floor with the Knicks has been blocked by more than just the team’s rocky start.
Through five games, New York has used 15 different players for at least one minute, and Diawara is tied with Pacome Dadiet for the fewest total minutes on the roster. That situation does not appear ready to change anytime soon.
Before Wednesday night’s win over the Chicago Bulls, head coach Mike Brown addressed Diawara’s limited role and made it clear the sophomore is not getting dropped into the rotation until the Knicks clean up their own mess.
“So to get us on track, we’re going to hold the fort down with a veteran group of guys,” Brown explained. “Hopefully we get to the point sooner than later that I can start throwing those [young] guys out there.”
New York has won two straight, but that still does not exactly fit the standard Brown is describing. The Knicks had to rally from a 10-point deficit to beat a Pistons team without Jalen Duren, then found themselves down by as many as 19 against a Bulls squad that, by any fair reading, is not very good.
That is not the kind of cushion Brown means when he talks about being “on track.” He is talking about building enough separation to use games as a developmental runway, not a tightrope.
For now, Diawara is the one paying for that lack of breathing room. Tyler Kolek would be in the same boat if not for Jose Alvarado’s ankle injury, but he has turned that chance into back-to-back games with nine assists and zero turnovers. That only sharpens the question around Diawara after the Bulls game.
Brown has shown he is willing to shuffle the deck as he goes. Jordan Clarkson looked like he was drifting toward the edge of the rotation, then popped back up in the Bulls win. He and Kolek both wound up with more minutes than Deuce McBride.
A few of those minutes could have gone to Diawara. He is not a guard, but the Knicks do not have much wing depth coming off the bench.
Diawara and Dadiet are the only non-centers on the reserve unit taller than 6-foot-5. That means New York could go bigger in second units, or lean into some no-center looks when Karl-Anthony Towns gets a breather.
Either way, Diawara could fit.
Instead, the Knicks’ hesitation suggests something a little less flattering: they may not see him as a real help right now. That lines up with how rough he looked in summer league and again in preseason.
It also leaves open the question of what he is showing in practice. Coaches see plenty behind closed doors, and if Diawara were overwhelming them, one appearance through five games probably would not be the number on the page.
This is not a verdict on Diawara’s long-term future. But it is a reality check, especially after the flashes he showed last season and the Knicks’ choice to bring him back over the summer.
New York is not done with him. It just seems to be asking for a lot before it lets him back in.
In Other News...
Knicks Just Got Pulled Into A Wild Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Idea
Miamis strange start has already turned the East into an early-season rumor mill, and the ripple effect could eventually reach New York. After the Heat opened 0-4 following their blockbuster deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, analysts immediately began questioning how Antetokounmpo would fit alongside Bam Adebayo, a pairing that has not exactly looked seamless out of the gate.
That uncertainty has pushed one hypothetical back onto the board: a trade idea sending Adebayo and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns. Nothing has been confirmed on Miamis side, and the Heat may simply decide to let the new group breathe and build chemistry, but the mere fact that Towns is now part of the speculation says plenty about how quickly the season can turn. For New York, it is another reminder that a frontcourt storyline can shift fast when a rival is already under pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Trade Chatter Around KAT Just Got Much Louder
The early-season wobble around Karl-Anthony Towns has only added more fuel to the Knicks rumor mill, and now the conversation has gotten a lot bigger than one slow start. Former NBA player Matt Barnes floated a blockbuster scenario involving Towns and Giannis Antetokounmpo, connecting the idea to Miamis rough opening stretch and the fact that New York still has not reached an extension agreement with Towns.
It remains purely hypothetical, with no sign either side has actually engaged in trade talks, but that is the kind of chatter that tends to linger when two high-profile teams are both trying to stabilize. For the Knicks, the uncertainty around Towns future is already a storyline; throwing Antetokounmpo into the mix only sharpens the questions about where this team is headed and how long the current core might stay intact. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks White House Debate Just Put James Dolan In The Spotlight
The Knicks championship celebration has already run into an unexpected off-court question, with talk swirling around whether the team will make the traditional White House visit. Stephen A. Smith brought the issue into the open by discussing the possibility that some players may not be eager to go, and he noted that owner James Dolan is reportedly not pleased with the situation. Smith also said he has not confirmed those reports directly with players, but the conversation has quickly become part of the backdrop to a title that should have been all joy.
Dolans reported reaction has only added another layer, especially given his well-known friendship with Donald Trump and the idea that he may want the visit to happen. Jalen Brunson had already signaled that the decision would be made by the team, which leaves the matter in a familiar place for a championship group trying to manage both celebration and politics. For now, the interest is less about what the Knicks did on the court than about who gets to decide what comes next off it. [Read more 🡒]