Knicks Get Good News on Contract for French Prospect

It might be a while yet before 20-year-old prospect Mohamed Diawara contributes for the Knicks. But he will, at least, begin the process of figuring out his future with the team this season, as his team in France announced that he would not be returning next year, as he will sign on to play in New York.

Diawara is a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists last season for his French team, Cholet. If there was speculation about whether he would join the Knicks or remain in France, that ended on Friday, as Cholet announced that Diawara was leaving.

According to NBA.com, "With Cholet, Diawara made 27 appearances, averaging 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists with 38/31/49 shooting splits. Diawara has earned two medals playing for France, winning bronze in 2022 at the U17 FIBA World Cup and gold during the 2024 U20 FIBA EuroBasket."

The Knicks made him the 51st overall pick in this draft, based mainly on his athleticism, defensive potential and impressive frame (he has a 7-foot-4 wingspan.) He played for the Knicks in summer league this month, finishing with 7.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals on 40% shooting (33.3% on 3-pointers) in four games.

But he looked solid, defensively, in the summer.

“We’re just trying to give him different looks. A lot of this is like, ‘Let’s see what we’ve got,’” summer coach Jordan Brink said. “And let’s put him in different positions and try to help him succeed, see if we can find something, trying to get him downhill to his right the best we can. His ability to rebound and run has been impressive.”

Given his age, raw approach to the game and lack of polished scoring ability, the Knicks might have preferred he remain overseas to bolster his game. But his athleticism and body type remind some of longtime NBA role player Mickael Pietrus, and that's a promising comp.

The Knicks will bring him stateside and probably let him develop under their watch in the G League, either on a minimum deal or as a two-way player.