Mohamed Diawara Starting to Turn the Corner for Knicks in Playoffs

Knicks forward Mohamed Diawara during a game. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Knicks' early pounding of the 76ers in Game 1 of the second round allowed a few of the lesser-seen faces on the bench to get some extended run.

One player who's been limited to just garbage time so far in the playoffs and took the floor Monday with the contest out of hand was rookie Mohamed Diawara. The first-year pro didn't look good in his first taste of postseason action against the Hawks, but versus the Sixers, he finally put together a nice little showing with five points across seven minutes.

Though it was just a brief glimpse of the rook, and in circumstances that didn't matter, Diawara's progress is still worth noting as New York's playoff journey is far from over.

Mohamed Diawara starting to put things together with Knicks in second round of playoffs

Diawara started these playoffs on an incredibly sour note, logging a DNP in the first three games despite having his own role in the rotation during the regular season. When the Frenchman finally took the floor, he had an every-rookie-esque performance, going 0-for-3 in just over three minutes.

While it's hard to read into garbage time, it was also an opportunity for Diawara to get some easy buckets against the deep Atlanta reserves. Instead, he exercised poor shot selection and executed sloppily.

Clearly, the performance left some kind of mark, despite minutes not mattering in the grand scheme, as Diawara was then benched in Game 5 even though other benchwarmers made an appearance in another blowout.

But Diawara started to turn his fortunes around after that loud and clear message from the coaching staff. In Game 6, which got out of hand in a hurry, Diawara finally saw some action again, logging a playoff-high 12 minutes.

He took advantage of this opportunity to score his first two points of his postseason career. And though his shot was a bit off (1-of-4 from the field), he found other ways to help out the greater good, grabbing four rebounds (including one offensive), recording two assists, and even nabbing a steal.

Mohamed Diawara vs. Philadelphia 76ers 5/4/2026

5 PTS | 2-3 FG | W 137-98 pic.twitter.com/Z3sn4GjJqQ

— NBA Shooting Audit (@NBAShotAudit) May 5, 2026

That was a performance to start building some positive momentum, which appears to have carried over against Philadelphia. Diawara was much better getting shot attempts that benefited him, with his first being a wide-open three in transition, then spotting up at the top of the arc for another deep shot (which he hit, his first three-pointer of the playoffs), and finally using his ball handling and size to create an easy floater right at the hoop (which also went in).

All of this, of course, comes with the caveat that Monday's contest was mostly garbage time and resembled more of an All-Star game in terms of intensity. But talented players are also expected to flex their skills when facing lesser competition. If they struggle against deep reserves, it's hard to consider them playing in minutes that matter.

This is what makes Diawara's Monday showing more than just success against "scrubs." It helps the staff feel better about him being on the court as they see the ways he can contribute. It's also encouraging to see him make a clear adjustment after his Game 4 went so poorly, which is another positive in terms of learning as a young player.

Diawara has now saved himself from never touching the court if things are already decided. It also keeps him in the "break glass in case of emergency" territory that New York could always find itself in if players go down.

After all, the Knicks have faced injuries throughout this entire season, so they need to have contingencies in place. And the bench hasn't performed at a super high level, either. Jordan Clarkson is the leading scorer from the second unit with just 6.9 PPG, while Miles McBride (6.1 PPG) is struggling offensively (but playing great defense).

Along with Landry Shamet falling out of the rotation, there's room for Brown to experiment with his bench deployment. Jose Alvarado is currently the top guy on the bubble, but the 3-and-D appeal of Diawara gives him a chance to see the floor if things take a bigger turn for Clarkson or McBride.

Nonetheless, Diawara's encouraging turnaround as of late helps keep that chance alive, especially with a long playoffs not even halfway over for the Knicks if things go the way they want.