Jalen Brunson now knows who Mohamed Diawara is…

“Honestly, I didn’t know Mo when he was drafted. Jalen Brunson won’t lie. Like almost all the players on the team Nixbut nobody knew their fans either Mohammed Diawara last June. Selected at the 51st position, the Frenchman was only a second-round draft pick and few envisioned him playing in the NBA this season. Maybe in the G-League…

“But in the Summer League, then before the training camp, I worked with him” continues Brunson. “He’s very confident and his game fits our style perfectly. I didn’t do any research, but as I got to know him, I quickly realized he would be an asset to us.”

Such property whichthe former Choletais is now the holder! He certainly takes advantage injury to josh hart but Mike Brown didn’t hesitate to insert a rookie, second-round draft pick into his starting five.

“This summer we started to see his sense of the game,” Brown says of Diawara. “For a player of his age and size, that’s impressive. Everything we’re trying to teach him, he wants to absorb it. He works a lot. He’s got size, he’s already a good defender and he’s improving. There’s a lot of little things where you say, ‘Wow’. All of this together gives us the confidence to start him and see what happens.”

Thirteen attempts before the draft

Pretty crazy fate for a player who didn’t even expect to be drafted… “I was hoping to be invited, but I wasn’t sure” he confirms that The Athletic. “I practiced with 13 teams. The feedback was pretty good. I had some very good sessions, I showed a lot of things. I felt confident and I knew I wouldn’t regret it.”

At 20 years old, the Frenchman is one of the nice surprises of the Knicks’ very good start to the season. He has already played 23 games and even started against the Pelicans for the third time, and he celebrated with 18 point topproof that he is not only a good defender.

“He has this attacking mentality”explains Myles McBride, who also knew how to find a place with the Knicks. “It reminds me of myself.” You trust your preparation and the results follow. When I first saw him play, it reminded me of my beginnings: you’re young, you don’t know anything, so you attack! »