With the Knicks ramping up their preparations to defend their NBA title during the coming season, head coach Mike Brown has pinpointed a player who he thinks has what it takes to earn a more significant role this go-around: Mo Diawara.
Diawara, still just 21 years old, returns to Knicks training camp following the “best summer of [his life]” back in his hometown of Paris, France.
Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 51st pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, Diawara was traded to the Knicks ahead of a rookie season that ended with a ring on his finger, but included plenty of learning from the team’s veteran core.
“Now I know the physicality I need for this league, how I need to prepare my body,” he explained in a news conference 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 floor in their preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on the night of Oct. 5?
“Probably, but not much,” Brown answered.
With that in mind, Diawara could be one of the players who is given the leash to show off what he’s learned in that game.
Brown outlined what he’s looking to see on the floor from his guys and how to set the tone ahead of the regular season. The Knicks host the 76ers in that game, too, at Madison Square Garden, which will include raising a banner to the rafters.
“You’re going to make some mistakes, and I’m okay with that,” Brown explained. “But when someone makes a mistake, how quickly do they try and make up for it?”
“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 seem aligned on the key areas for the young swingman to focus on improving.
“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.”
“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 regular season, the 6’9″ forward shot a respectable 36.9 percent from behind the arc on 1.9 attempts per game, averaging 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest, which included seven starts across 69 games played. However, his role off the bench shrank significantly during the team’s title run, as he only played in six of the team’s 19 playoff games.
That production led to Diawara signing a four-year contract worth slightly more than $11 million in total with the Knicks.