Pacome Dadiet does not need another preseason built around hunting points against end-of-bench competition. He needs a real look.
The Knicks’ final three exhibition games begin Monday against Minnesota, and that feels like the right time to put the 2024 first-round pick on the floor with established rotation players. Give him possessions that matter. See whether he makes life easier for the group around him.
Dadiet is 21 now, and the Knicks should be past the stage of treating every minute like a separate audition for his scoring touch. The question is simpler than that. Can he defend his assignment, finish possessions with rebounds and make the basic offensive read without throwing the rhythm off?
So far, the offensive numbers haven’t demanded a bigger role. Dadiet scored five points in 18 minutes at Philadelphia and added another five in 12 minutes against Washington. He has gone 4-for-14 overall, though he did make two of his five three-point tries.
What stood out more Thursday was the work on the glass. Dadiet grabbed five rebounds in 12 minutes, including three offensive boards. That kind of contribution matters more than forcing shots, especially if the Knicks want to learn what he can actually do alongside better players.
A short run with the regulars would answer more useful questions than another stint against reserves. Does he get to the right spot quickly when a teammate needs a release valve?
Does he stay engaged when the ball swings to the other side? Can he contest, then rebound, instead of standing around after the shot goes up?
Those are the small things that keep a wing on the floor.
None of that means he has already earned anything. Two preseason games are too small a sample to hand out verdicts, and five rebounds in one night do not suddenly make him a finished product on the glass. But that is exactly why these next games matter: they can give the staff actual possessions to study.
There should be patience here, just not blind loyalty to draft status. New York took Dadiet 25th in 2024, and that should guarantee a serious evaluation, not a spot simply because of where he was picked.
Mike Brown can absolutely decide he prefers veterans or another young wing. The Knicks are trying to defend a title, and one shaky defensive possession can outweigh a nice scoring moment in a hurry. If Dadiet cannot handle a defined job, the staff should not force regular-season minutes just to validate the selection.
The more likely alternative is that his development happens mostly outside the main rotation while the proven players handle the games that count. That may end up being the right call. But the preseason ought to help the Knicks reach that conclusion with evidence, not habit.
After Minnesota, the Knicks face Toronto on Tuesday and Toronto again on Thursday. Nobody is asking Dadiet to turn into something he is not in three games. Brown just needs to hand him a manageable role and see whether the rest of the lineup can trust him with it.
If the answer is no, fine. I’d accept a smaller role after an honest test. What shouldn’t happen is another preseason ending without any real sense of whether a former first-round pick can help a good lineup by doing the little things and getting out of the way on offense.
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