A hangover can be a sobering experience. A lot of people know that. One moment you are on top of the world, the life of the party, drinking and dancing in the middle of a crowd to a song that seemed like it was written just for you. And then all of a sudden you wake up and feel like a reborn “Night Train” Lane is using your head as a tackling dummy. That upcoming brunch with the not-so-close relatives doesn’t seem that enticing anymore, does it?
You might have heard that your beloved New York Knicks
are dealing with something similar these days. They sure have been told once or twice. Actually, if they could get a dollar for every time someone brought up the famous movie title in relation to their recent basketball exploits, they might soon be able to play for good ol’ Jimmy for free. That’s what you get for starting your title defense with no wins in three games: you will hear about it. With that said, some Knickerbockers definitely have it a little worse than others.
While the main crew is stumbling through the club and trying to dissect the poor-tasting regular beverage of a long, grinding season, one of last year’s heroes hasn’t even been invited back to the party yet. What it is exactly that’s keeping Mohamed Diawara on the pine is anybody’s guess, but there surely is something that doesn’t sit well with head coach Mike Brown. It’s not the sneakers or the baggy shorts, so much we can say.
No minutes so far for Mohamed Diawara
It seems as if Diawara really hasn’t fully recovered from hitting the rookie wall late last season—both physically and mentally. After surprising everybody by clearly outperforming his late draft status, he got lost in the shuffle later in the year. As his earlier unwavering confidence wavered, he more often than not looked like a shaken gallic rooster in the headlights. With every subpar outing, it seemed to creep deeper into Mo’s head, as he looked visibly frustrated at times. But even if he wasn’t part of the playoff rotation, many in Knickland were still confident that the guy who locked up Jaylen Brown in Boston and drilled triples in Wemby’s face at the Garden would have a significantly bigger role going forward. The Knicks apparently agreed, giving him a new four-year contract in June.
So far these expectations haven’t been met. Like at all. An injury-shortened, bad summer league and an average-at-best preseason didn’t exactly get the hype TGV rolling again. Physically, Diawara certainly looks bigger, but transforming your body can be quite a challenge for a young player, especially when the added pounds take away from the nimble movement skills you once possessed. Judging by the few glimpses we got of Mo in the summer, it seemed that he wasn’t exactly confident in his new skin yet as a player. Understandable but unfortunate nonetheless.
What makes his stagnating development especially frustrating for New York is that the young Frenchman, in theory, is exactly the type of talent their roster could use right now and going forward. Outside of their starters OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, the Bockers really do not have any long wings at their disposal, and it becomes an even more glaring circumstance when you consider that their lineup features a lot of smaller guards to begin with.
Diawara could improve Knicks’ balance
The Knicks worked around it admirably during last year’s playoff run, even if it didn’t make sense at times. Three-guard lineups with Jalen Brunson and Jose Alvarado somehow worked against a vaunted Spurs defense in the Finals, Landry Shamet turned into some super sub on his minimum deal, Jordan Clarkson impersonated Dennis Rodman off the bench, and no Knick ever really got exposed physically that much. It was awesome to see, but somehow it also felt like the stars aligned just right for a play here, a game there, then even a series and a run. Matchups favored the Knicks and they managed to hide their shortcomings perfectly at just the right time.
But can all of that happen again? Can we trust the rather smallish roster to hold up for another year without opponents finding the obvious problems with it? It might, but having a better balance on the depth chart would also be a welcome sight. Championship teams often struggle when they just do the things they did a year ago and expect things to also just go exactly the same. In terms of a roster and a team, you need a certain level of disruption, some new impulses to keep the group humming, interested. C’est peut-être Monsieur Diawara pour les Knicks de New York.
Diawara can push the vets in front of him a little bit, and he could challenge their inner mentor. Some veterans tend to be more engaged when they have younger guys looking up to them, guys that force them to be role models in practice and on the court. I’m sure our beloved and extremely professional Knicks aren’t slacking in that regard, but if a youngster is out there in the real games with them, there is certainly another dimension that could make them focus a bit more themselves.
Make no mistake about it: Mo Diawara has to earn his minutes. He has to be a gain, not a distraction. Limited history suggests, though, that if the Knicks are serious about his development, they might want to try him rather sooner than later with their regular rotation. Diawara has always looked like a guy who thrives with better teammates, carving out and excelling in a limited role as a defensive, three-point-shooting specialist. The gained confidence from another opportunity could unlock him again and send him back in the right direction. Which in turn would be a win for the entire team. For all the hope that Mo might expand his game immediately after his rookie year, he and his trainers might have jumped a step or two, who knows. That doesn’t change the fact that he is a player who might add something the team lacks right now.
You don’t have to let him run the bar immediately. But a little time on the dancefloor, maybe a song or two, could be a good idea. At least we could see if he still has some moves.
