Dylan Backer
The New York Knicks begin their Summer League stint on Friday, with their first game in Las Vegas being against the Brooklyn Nets. Summer League is a great opportunity for young players to showcase their skills and potentially pursue roster spots.
Knicks’ Mohamed Diawara has a big opportunity in Summer League
While most of the Knicks’ NBA roster for next season is set, there is one player who can really make a name for himself in this year’s Summer League.
Mohamed Diawara, who is coming off an impressive rookie season, will be that player this year. Diawara was drafted in the late second round of the 2025 draft, and he flashed some great potential as a shooter and a versatile defender.
The upside warranted the Knicks to re-sign him on a four-year, $11 million deal this offseason. He was a regular part of the rotation for a lot of the second half of the season, but wasn’t during the playoffs en route to a championship.
Diawara could earn rotation minutes through a strong Summer League stint
In Summer League, Diawara will figure to be the team’s most likely candidate to earn rotation minutes based on his performance. The Knicks are thin in the wing department behind OG Anunoby, and Diawara can find himself earning even more impactful minutes next season.
These Las Vegas games serve as an opportunity for him to expand his skillset and show off what he has been working on to improve his game. In the past, players like Tyler Kolek and Quentin Grimes used Summer League to their advantage, as strong performances from them gave New York more trust to try them in actual NBA games.
This time, there is a real lane for playing time for Diawara, but it still needs to be earned for Mike Brown to go to him. A strong Summer League stint could mean that New York is getting a highly impactful player in a bigger role next season as they defend their championship.
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