Mohamed Diawara, the Knicks rookie who is not afraid of anything

There is indeed a Frenchman who leaves his mark in the Nixeven if it’s not what we might have thought of at the start of the season. Because despite the arrival of Jeremy Socan, Mohammed Diawara continues to shine.

here, against Spurs and Victor Wembanyama facing him for the first time in the pros, two Frenchmen who had only crossed paths at the age of 11 or 12, the newcomer from New York was undaunted. San Antonio therefore chose to ignore him, as well as Josh Hart, and Mohamed Diawara drew.

“Mo is not afraid of anything. He is the most confident young man I have ever met in my life and he has a chance to become, not only good, but very good.” explains Mike Brown.

In the end, the Frenchman got a little carried away, finishing with 14 points on 5/14 shooting, including 4/13 from distance, while he was systematically limited to 3 points. But his pass at the start of the fourth quarter, with a successful 3-pointer at the buzzer and then a block on Stephon Castle in the process, may have ruined the game.

“When you catch the ball, you are the first option, so shoot”

“Every time the ball came into his hands, I yelled at him to shoot” assures Landry Shamet. “The kid stayed aggressive. There aren’t many players with raw talent like him… It’s crazy: he’s what, 19 years old? (he would have turned 21 next month, editor’s note). I’m happy for him that he had a match like tonight. »

Because it is not easy, mentally, to be the target of the opposing defense in this way. Especially for a young player.

“It’s not easy” continued Landry Shamet. “People think it’s easy because it’s open all the time, but it’s weird when you look up and nobody’s coming at you. Teams have to choose what they’re going to leave for the opposition … and Mo did a great job of that tonight. We saw him thinking about a few shots early on, but I told him: when you catch the ball, you’re the first option, so shoot.

Enough to further boost Mohamed Diawara’s confidence. How much does he put it? “Well, I can’t give an exact figure, but it’s very high, that’s for sure. Considering the way I play, the way my teammates help me, the coaches… Everyone makes me feel comfortable, really. And it’s growing, day by day.” he concludes.

How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.