4 Biggest Knicks Disappointments From Ugly Summer League

Excitement for the Knicks' trip to Summer League quickly evaporated in the first few days. It became clear the team's playoff success would not carry over in Las Vegas, and New York ultimately finished play at an ugly 1-4.

While there were a few bright spots, this Summer League was mostly headlined by several players who didn't impress, or needed to show more given the circumstances.

1. Mohamed Diawara

The guy everyone wanted to see in Vegas was Mohamed Diawara. Fresh off of a promising rookie campaign, plus being part of a Finals win and inking an extension, the hopes were high he'd begin his second NBA season on a high note.

Instead, Diawara put up two dreadful performances in a leading role, then was sidelined with a finger injury. As a result, he finished Summer League averaging a measly 3.5 points while shooting 10%—yes, 10%—or worse from both the field and deep despite seeing 24.7 minutes per contest.

Now, Diawara is more of a finisher (at the rim or as a shooter) than an initiator, and the Knicks experimented with him in more of the latter role. But this was a valid approach to test the range of Diawara's capabilities, especially against lesser competition.

The fact he failed at that job, while also air balling shots and being a net-negative in spite of his clear tools, is a massive letdown. Maybe a Finals hangover can be blamed a bit, but he also he wasn't much involved on that front to close his rookie year.

A dud in Summer League isn't a reason to make massive changes to the team's plans for him, but it was a chance for the young wing to make some positive inroads as he vies for more playing time. This showing, though, just keeps him on the outskirts of the rotation for 2026-27.

2. Dillon Jones

Dillon Jones was a name to watch for New York down in Vegas after spending this last campaign as a two-way player with the Knicks. Given he's still a free agent to this point, this was a chance for Jones to show the team's investment in him this season was worthwhile.

But instead, Jones mostly served as just a supporting player who was overshadowed by new arrivals. Even though he averaged the fifth-most minutes per game (22.6) in Summer League, Jones managed a ho-hum 8.2 ppg.

Meanwhile, he shot a lackluster 34.2% from the field and just 13.3% from deep. In addition, he was a turnover machine, logging 3.4 per game over five appearances, which led all of New York's roster by a good margin.

This is a player who just notched 15.7 ppg and shot 37.3% from deep in the G League this past season, which set him up to dominate against opposing players who lack experience. Yet it was his newcomer teammates who impressed more than he did.

Suddenly, this puts the two-time NBA champ at risk of not coming back on a two-way for the Knicks, who have more exciting options to consider after Summer League. Surely Jones is going to be kicking himself for squandering this clear opportunity.

3. Pacome Dadiet

It speaks volumes about Pacôme Dadiet that even though he led the Summer League roster in scoring (15.3 ppg), no one is really pleased by his showing.

This stems from an extremely inefficient performance, going 36.4% from the field and just 16% on threes (despite 6.3 attempts per game on the latter), as well as defense that left a lot to be desired.

That's without mentioning Dadiet is in preparation for his third NBA season at this point. With 47 games under his belt over two years, Dadiet had the major experience edge in Vegas gyms full of rookies and G League players still seeking legitimate playing time in the NBA.

Yet this didn't result in any real separation from Dadiet and the rest of the pack. That's a problem for the Knicks, who continue to potentially waste time on a youngster who may never reward their patience.

This just makes trading Dadiet even more of a necessary move for New York to better have a chance at defending its title. His nearly $3 million salary for this year sticks out like a sore thumb, but the Knicks could possibly package him with second-round picks and/or another player to pursue an upgrade.

4. Oziyah Sellers

The inclusion of local product Oziyah Sellers of the Summer League roster had many thrilled. After being a key part of St. John's recent success, there was a possibility Sellers could make Madison Square Garden his home again by winning the Knicks over.

Yet, Sellers didn't leave the mark necessary to make that truly happen. He was given a solid runway with 14.5 minutes per game, but he mostly fell by the wayside.

His 5.8 ppg didn't exactly turn heads, especially since he struggled so much from deep (18.2%). His strong three-point shooting in college (career 37.8%) was one of his best paths to catch the Knicks' attention, but it didn't translate at all to Summer League.

With his shot not falling, Sellers failed to make an impact in other ways with only 2.2 rpg and no other stat worth mentioning. For anyone rooting for him, this wasn't the most ideal Vegas for the Red Storm alum.

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