Knicks Find New Hope Off Bench, And It's Not Mohamed Diawara

The New York Knicks are rolling, and the story isn't just about their starters. As the regular season pushes deeper into March, New York's bench depth has quietly become one of its most valuable assets.

The game against the Denver Nuggets perfectly showed that. A 20-year-old Frenchman reminded everyone exactly why the Knicks were patient enough to keep him around.

At ‌‍9:03 of the final quarter, Pacôme Dadiet came off the bench, substituting OG Anunoby while the Knicks were comfortably leading. What followed was nothing short of eye-opening.

Dadiet scored 11 points on an extremely efficient 4-of-5 shooting from the field, hitting every one of his 3-point attempts — 28 feet, 29 feet and 24 feet — as well as a running dunk on Tyler Kolek's assist that completed a very impressive short appearance.

Pacome Blowout Comb Dadiet in 8 minutes off the bench:

11 points career high
4-5 FG
3-3 three
+13pic.twitter.com/ye8hk928xZ
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 7, 2026

He also added an offensive and a defensive rebound and closed the game with a very clean ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌+13.

Sure,‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ the opposing team's top players were mostly off the court, and it was basically a blowout. But the way Dadiet moved was confident, decisive, and with real shooting range, it was hard to ignore. He wasn't just filling minutes; he was making a case.

What Coach Brown Sees about Dadiet

Feb 6, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks forward Pacome Dadiet (4) walks off the court after the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Head coach Mike Brown has been deliberate in how he's talked about Dadiet's development.

"He's been playing well in the G League, been shooting a mess out of it. He's got great size and we just want — he's young, Mo's young — and we want those guys to keep growing and developing," Brown said.

"But anytime young guys like that can see the ball go in and do some things out on the floor in an NBA game, it helps with the belief. It helps, not just with them believing in their confidence level going up, but also their teammates too."

Pacome Dadiet has been lighting it up in the G League. Having success in limited NBA action will only help his confidence grow: #NYK #Knicks pic.twitter.com/RsZdU1q3fE
— AtTheLunchTable (@TheLunchTable1_) March 7, 2026

Where Does This Leave Diawara?

In‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ fact, Mohamed Diawara was the player everyone was talking about just a month ago. He put up 14 points in only 15 minutes against the Spurs this month, as New York stopped San Antonio's 11-game winning streak.

A +25 game against Milwaukee earlier had already gained him serious consideration for returning to the rotation. Nevertheless, against the Nuggets, Diawara was held to just four points in 13 minutes.

Dadiet didn't outshine Diawara in a vacuum; he simply stepped into a spotlight Diawara had been warming up and delivered. The Knicks now have two young, versatile wings competing for meaningful minutes, and that healthy competition can only make New York stronger down the stretch.

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