NEW YORK – The New York Knicks used every possible first-round pick to build their team, putting pressure on Walt Perine and his scouting department to make the most of any remaining opportunities in the draft. On Sunday, Mohamed Diarra, the 51st overall pick in 2025 and the only Knicks rookie, scored 14 points in 14:55 of the game to help defeat the San Antonio Spurs on prime-time television.
New York's scoring efforts were led by Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson, who have generally played well against the Spurs throughout their Knicks tenures. Karl-Anthony Towns had a huge breakout season with his 14 points, leading New York to 54 points. That was 13 more than San Antonio.
No bench player on either team took more than eight shots or scored more than eight points. Except for Diawara, who attempted 14 shots in roughly the same number of minutes played. 13 of those came from behind the 3-point arc, leading head coach Mike Brown to praise the rookie's apparently unmatched confidence.
Brown told media members after the Knicks' win, "The first thing I would say is Mo is not afraid. I've told you guys this before, for a young guy, I've thrown him in games, in starts, on national TV." "He doesn't even take a look. He can start three games in a row, then he can't start the fourth game. He doesn't take a look. He's the most confident young guy I've been around. And he's got a chance to become — not good, really good."
It looks like Diarra has the edge over Jeremy Sochan for a playoff spot
Former Spur Jeremy Sochan played just two minutes against his old team. Brown told reporters when he signed that efforts to integrate and evaluate the 22-year-old could impact Diarra's playing time. The coach was staying true to his methodical approach and trying to understand his options ahead of the most lucrative games of the year.
In recent games, including the Knicks' last three games, Diawara has come off the bench earlier than expected and played more of a role. Asked by ClutchPoints about trends, Brown said players need to prepare for whatever opportunities they get amid the adjustment.
“What you said is true,” Brown told ClutchPoints. "He and Jeremy are 9th and 10th, 10th and 9th right now. They both just have to prepare themselves because their number could be called at any time."
The Browns are in no rush to finalize their playoff rotation. He will explore as many options as possible before the probability of error decreases. But if Diarra continues to play with the same aggression and composure on both ends of the ball, Brown's decision may already have been made for him.
