With the Knicks ramping up their preparations to defend their NBA title during the coming season, head coach Mike Brown has pinpointed a participant who he thinks has what it takes to earn a more vital position this go-around: Mo Diawara.
Diawara, still just 21 years previous, returns to Knicks coaching camp following the “best summer of [his life]” back in his hometown of Paris, France.
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Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 51st choose of the 2025 NBA Draft, Diawara was traded to the Knicks forward of a rookie season that ended with a ring on his finger, but included lots of studying from the group’s veteran core.
“Now I know the physicality I need for this league, how I need to prepare my body,” he defined in a information convention on Saturday. “I still look a lot to those vets, just helping me with a routine to get ready for this new year.”
“Now that I’ve been in the league a year, it is a little bit easier,” Diawara declared.
Will the Knicks starters see the flooring in their preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on the night time of Oct. 5?
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“Probably, but not much,” Brown answered.
With that in thoughts, Diawara could be one of the gamers who is given the leash to show off what he’s discovered in that sport.
Brown outlined what he’s wanting to see on the flooring from his guys and how to set the tone forward of the common season. The Knicks host the 76ers in that sport, too, at Madison Square Garden, which will embody raising a banner to the rafters.
“You’re going to make some mistakes, and I’m okay with that,” Brown defined. “But when someone makes a mistake, how quickly do they try and make up for it?”
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“I’m huge on next-play speed. Guys can’t drop their heads or hesitate. Boom: right away, move on. It’s the little things. Boxing out, competing for offensive rebounds, and sprinting to the corners in transition.”
Diawara and Brown appear aligned on the key areas for the younger swingman to focus on bettering.
“Last year, you could see he was a little jittery when he was out there, because he didn’t know what to do.”
“His cadence is better, he has a better feel not only for what he should do, but what his teammates should be doing,” Brown continued. “He’s one of those players who needs to take a step forward.”
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“I’m shooting a lot of threes, working on that a lot to improve it going into my second year,” Diawara added.
During the 2025-26 common season, the 6’9″ ahead shot a respectable 36.9 % from behind the arc on 1.9 makes an attempt per sport, averaging 3.6 factors and 1.4 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest, which included seven begins across 69 video games performed. However, his position off the bench shrank considerably during the group’s title run, as he only performed in six of the group’s 19 playoff video games.
That manufacturing led to Diawara signing a four-year contract price barely more than $11 million in complete with the Knicks.
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