Pacôme Dadiet was seen as nothing more than a draft-and-stash player to some, but the Knicks got a taste of his upside in last night’s pre-season win over the Hornets. The 19-year-old wing showed off an excellent range of scoring as he put up 16 points in 28 minutes with excellent efficiency, draining three of his six attempts from three. Selected in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft from France, there’s a chance Dadiet ends up in the G League to open the year, but his excellent debut shows flashes of what could become a rotation player on a contending team.
It may not come in 2024, but the Knicks got a glimpse into what could be an extremely bright future for a player who has been adamant about making the jump to the grandest stage basketball has to offer.
Strong Debut For Pacôme Dadiet Could Be Knicks’ First Glance At the Future
From a projectability standpoint, it’s easy to see why the Knicks would hold Pacôme Dadiet in high regard as he’s a 6’8 wing who can play the two or three, giving him excellent defensive gifts physically. He’s only 19 years old, and there’s plenty of growing for him to do as he tries to learn the ropes of the NBA, but the Knicks have shown an ability to maximize player value under Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau.
Obi Toppin stands out as the biggest misevaluation the Knicks have had of an NBA prospect, and even he carved out a role as a rotation player on a playoff-caliber team. Miles McBride, Quentin Grimes, and Immanuel Quickley have all provided surplus value relative to their draft position, and New York hopes they can accomplish the same thing with Dadiet.
Shooting and defense are the two most desirable skills in the modern NBA, as any player who can provide both immediately has utility on a championship-caliber rotation. Dadiet has to mature more physically and we have to see a larger sample size before we can firmly conclude anything about his defensive abilities, but the Knicks certainly have veteran wings who he can learn from on that front.
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Dadiet contested five shots and picked up three deflections, and his development as a defender will be critical to his success in the NBA. Furthermore, his three-point shot looked smooth, which should give the Knicks a lot of hope that he could become a strong role player for this team down the road. Ideally, every player you draft becomes a star and dominates the league, but for a late-first-round pick, the realistically positive outcomes usually range between a rotational player and a key role player.
We’ve seen how the Knicks have been able to improve wings and guards by having them slowly integrate themselves into the lineup, as Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride took some time before they gained the trust of Thibs and found themselves consistently in the rotation. The biggest roadblock right now is the Knicks’ deep starting five, as when they’re healthy it’s hard to imagine a massive shake-up in-season that involves playing a teenage rookie.
The Knicks do have some bench issues though, ones that have become louder with the apparent shoulder injury that Landry Shamet suffered last night. He was projected to make the rotation after an impressive summer, so the Knicks will have to find a way to replenish those minutes. It seems second-rounder Tyler Kolek could get those reps, but even then the forward depth chart is suspect at best.
Josh Hart is expected to start, Miles McBride will be the sixth man, and there’s a whole lot of question marks that follow after. Will Precious Achiuwa be utilized as a center or a forward? Will rookie big Ariel Hukporti get minutes after an impressive showing in the Summer League and pre-season? There’s a lot of uncertainty in the rotation right now, and perhaps that creates a lane for Pacôme Dadiet to slowly eat into the bench minutes and carve out a role on this team.
It seems unlikely, but last night showed the Knicks that they could have a seriously talented wing in their 2024 first-rounder who could make an impact sooner than expected.