Mohamed Diawara restores his position in the lineup during Knicks’ victory

Mohamed Diawara’s Comeback in Knicks’ Rotation

Mohamed Diawara seems to have found his way back into the Knicks’ rotation.

In Sunday’s 114-89 victory over the Spurs at Madison Square Garden, he scored 14 points, hitting 5 of 14 shots in just 15 minutes on the court. Interestingly, 13 of those shots were from beyond the arc.

This marked the highest number of attempts he’s taken in a single game this season, and those 14 points placed him second on the team for that game.

“Everyone was encouraging me, saying, ‘Keep shooting, keep shooting,'” Diawara noted. “The whole team really pushed me to take shots.”

After the Knicks added Jeremy Sochan during the All-Star break, Coach Mike Brown hinted that Diawara’s minutes could be affected as they tried to integrate Sochan and gauge his fit before the playoffs.

While this did happen to some extent, it didn’t significantly cut into Sochan’s playing time.

Now, it seems Diawara is back in the driver’s seat.

On Sunday, Sochan saw minimal playtime, coming in only during garbage time.

Diawara continued to impress, contributing 10 points in 22 minutes during the previous loss to the Bucks—just a few games before.

“First off, Mo is fearless,” Brown said. “He’s played in crucial games, even started on national TV, and never flinches. He could have three games in a row and then not play, but he’s unfazed. He’s incredibly confident. There’s potential for him to be, not just good, but really good. He’s been diligently working on his shooting, as evident tonight, when opponents are beginning to respect him.”

And indeed, he has begun to make teams pay for underestimating his ability from the three-point line.

“Whenever he has the ball, I’m urging him to shoot,” teammate Landry Shamet remarked. “I want him to remain aggressive. We all see how talented and raw he still is.”

On a different note, Sochan is set to face his former team, the Spurs, who selected him ninth overall in the 2022 draft, for the first time since his departure.

“For Jeremy, my hope is that he finally got the chance he was looking for,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson before Sunday’s matchup. “I hope he truly makes the most of the opportunity at hand.”