The Knicks may be done with Mohamed Diawara in Las Vegas, and the reasons are piling up fast.
What was supposed to be a chance for Diawara to look dominant against Summer League competition has gone the other way. Through two games, he has averaged just 3.5 points per game while shooting 7.1% from the field. That kind of line would be rough in any setting; in Vegas, it has been downright ugly.
Then came the injury. Diawara sat out Monday’s win over the Pistons because of a finger issue, and the team had his finger wrapped. At that point, the case for keeping him on the floor got a lot weaker.
There’s no obvious upside in pushing him back into action now. Even if the injury is only a sprain, Summer League is the last place the Knicks need to gamble with a player who already has a roster spot and a long-term extension. Diawara has only one NBA season behind him, and the risk of turning a small problem into a bigger one is hard to justify.
The performance piece matters too. This has been a miserable run for Diawara, and if the Knicks believe the struggles are tied to the fresh NBA Finals run, the fit with less experienced teammates, or both, then letting him sit might be the cleaner move. It spares him more frustration and keeps him from fighting through an injury while trying to find his rhythm.
The schedule also points in the same direction. New York has already taken two ugly losses and owns the worst differential among all one-win teams in Vegas.
That leaves the Knicks with almost no path to the four-team Summer League Playoffs, even if they win Thursday in their fourth game. If that happens, they would still have one more exhibition on Friday against a to-be-determined opponent.
With little on the line and Diawara already secured for the roster, it makes more sense for New York to use the final games to evaluate other players. Dillon Jones, Liam Robbins and Oziyah Sellers are among the names that could get a longer look as the Knicks sort out who might be worth a two-way contract.
Diawara’s Summer League was always supposed to be a chance to raise his stock. Instead, it has become something the Knicks can probably leave behind. The better play now is simple: shut him down, let the finger heal, and move on to the upcoming season without making a bad stretch worse.
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