The New York Knicks continue to get production from their role players in win over the New Orleans Pelicans
The New York Knicks likely walked into the Smoothie King Center on Monday night not expecting to have much competition, going against a Pelicans team that entered the night with just eight wins. Even after firing their head coach, the Pelicans still look like one of the worst teams in the Western Conference, but that didn't seem to be the case against the Knicks.
Entering the fourth quarter with a lead at home versus the Knicks, New York was able to come back against the Pelicans for a thrilling 130-125 victory, with Jalen Brunson yet again putting on an MVP-level performance for the Knicks with 28 points and 10 assists. However, just like their last contest against the Atlanta Hawks, it was an unexpected player who helped be the difference.
Knicks Get Unexpected Contribution Yet Again
With Josh Hart sidelined due to injury through at least the current road trip, the Knicks have inserted second-round pick Mohamed Diawara into the starting lineup. The 20-year-old French international probably wasn't expecting to fill much of a role on an Eastern Conference contender as a rookie, but delivered for the Knicks on Monday night.
Earning the third start of his NBA career, Diawara delivered, scoring 18 points in 18 minutes, connecting on 7-of-9 of his field goals and going perfect on all four of his three-point attempts. A raw prospect in the 2025 Draft, Diawara is showing early in his NBA career that he could have a role for himself down the line.
"Mo kept us in the game early on offensively, knocking down timely shots. The more he's out on the floor, that's the more he's getting comfortable. It was a lot of fun to watch Mo play the game," Brown said.
Diawara played 27 games with French club Cholet during the 2024-25 season, averaging 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds on 38.3% shooting from the field. Translating numbers from Europe to the NBA is drastically different, but those numbers aren't reflective of a competent fill-in starter in the NBA in his first season.
Diawara should still be in line to start for the Knicks on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, a contest that will be a big test for the Knicks in their first time meeting since the NBA Cup Final. If he can prove himself against one of the top teams in the West, perhaps he could see himself sparingly featured in the rotation as a reserve forward for the rest of the season.