As evidenced by their 1-4 record, the Knicks had some troubles during their 2026-27 preseason. Some of that is par for the course with the starters' minutes needing to be managed after a title run, but some of the issues came from supporting players who didn't take advantage of the opportunity.
In particular, there's a few who stand out as guys who could be a little (or a lot) worse off to begin the year as a result of their uninspiring preseason play.
1. Kevin McCullar Jr.
The Knicks were under no obligation to bring Kevin McCullar Jr. back this season after he was a two-way player for them this past campaign. In fact, letting him walk and signing a center in his place seemed like the path New York was going to go down until his sudden return at the end of September.
But how did McCullar respond to this show of faith in him? By making very little of preseason minutes.
In his first game he put together a decent six points and four rebounds across 10 minutes, yet those ended up being figures he couldn't improve upon in any other contest. He logged only seven minutes his next time out (with only two points, zero boards and two assists).
Most disappointing was his final warm-up performance on Tuesday. Despite being given a larger runway with 18 minutes, the wing responded with just four points and three rebounds. He also didn't connect on a single three-point try in spite of six attempts from deep over three contests, and had almost as many turnovers (4) as assists (5).
There's no way to see McCullar's preseason as encouraging, especially for a player who still needs to prove he belongs in the NBA. This letdown could put him in jeopardy, as two-way contracts are not guaranteed, so the team can swap players in and out freely.
New York did that with Tosan Evbuomwan (cut) and Dillon Jones (signed) midway through last season—so if there's a player out there or one that becomes available that Leon Rose likes, McCullar would be top on the chopping block.
2. Mohamed Diawara
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear as though the big leap from Mohamed Diawara will be coming to begin his second season. Instead, he very much looks like a work-in-progress.
Diawara's preseason was all over the place, as the youngster flashed some of what makes him intriguing, but at other times completely disappeared. While his 13 points on Tuesday were nice, the 21-year-old going scoreless back-to-back nights while seeing 13 minutes in both contests is concerning.
A lack of aggressiveness was very worrisome for Diawara, who attempted only one shot in both of those zero-point efforts. For a player who could represent a future starter for New York if his development goes as hoped, the organization cannot like seeing Diawara be so passive.
There was speculation Diawara could push for a larger rotation role this season following his offseason return, and he still might get the chance to do so at the start of the campaign. But the leash is likely shorter now without much positive momentum on his side, making him an easy contributor to quickly scale back in terms of role if he starts the year on a mild note.
3. Jaden Akins
Jaden Akins didn't have a ton to work with this preseason, seeing double-digit minutes in only one contest and being a DNP in two. Still, he is now part of the defending champs, and he'll have to show more to stick around on his two-way deal all year long.
Akins notched just 11 points over three appearances, and he ended his preseason run with an ugly 1 of 8 shooting night Tuesday that included missing all three tries from deep. There was some good in there, like recording at least three assists in two of three outings and swiping two steals in his final appearance, so it's not as if he's an outright negative to have around.
That said, the Knicks will be looking to upgrade the back end of their roster all season long in order to defend as champions, so anyone on a two-way deal is in danger if the results aren't enough to convince the team they're the best possible fit.
Further working against Akins is the fact he's new to the organization, unlike McCullar, making him a bigger risk. Akins also doesn't have the job security of a draft pick, which makes fellow two-way player and rookie Tyler Nickel much safer from any roster moves.
Akins showed at Summer League he can provide a nice shot of energy as a reserve, but he's got his work cut out for him to convince New York he shouldn't be cut if someone better comes available.
4. Pacome Dadiet
There's very little left to say about the massive disappointment that is Pacome Dadiet's Knicks tenure to this point. However, this preseason could serve as the last push New York might've needed to ramp up efforts to offload him.
The production was inconsistent, grabbing eight rebounds in the first two games but then a total of three in his next three outings. The same goes for his shooting, as he was 4 of 8 from three-point range to begin the preseason before going 1 of 7 and 0 of 2 to close things out.
There's moments where Dadiet looks intriguing and NBA-worthy, but they're few and far between compared to the times he doesn't seem like he belongs at this level.
What could motivate a breakup here after keeping him for over two seasons now, though, is the fact there's a promising veteran in Bruce Brown who'll have to be cut if the team can't clear up the money to sign him. Even if it'd require multiple second-rounders to trade Dadiet, this might be the point where New York finally has had enough.
5. Miles McBride
For a player who's also been in trade speculation and wants to get paid by the Knicks, Miles McBride did very little to help his cause this preseason.
It's a little hard not to worry about the guard, whose shooting woes post-injury were clear in the playoffs and might not have gone away. McBride went 0 of 4 (x2), 1 of 4 and 1 of 5 over the first four exhibitions this year before finishing 3 of 6 in the finale. New York cannot have him being serviceable from deep only once every few games, but that's the pattern he's shown ever since his injury.
McBride's shooting is the second key that makes him a valuable player. While his defense remains strong, his impact is a lot more limited if he can't stretch the defense reliably.
His current form isn't doing him any favors in terms of getting paid to stay in the Big Apple and lessening his chances of being traded as an expiring contract. His decline from three even raises questions about his role as sixth man entering the season, especially with Landry Shamet making a statement over these past few games with his play.
McBride has earned his place as a featured reserve by steadily improving every season since being drafted, so it'll take more than just a poor preseason to make a breakup happen. But this could get the ball rolling and help make a difficult decision easier for the Knicks if his first month of play is similar.
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