The Knicks will look to avoid dropping consecutive games to begin the season when they travel to Boston to play the Celtics on Friday. As we previously detailed, the Knicks’ offense struggled to a 99.0 offensive rating in the defeat to the Sixers on Tuesday in their opener, but the defense was still productive with a 103.9 defensive rating (106 points allowed).
Notably absent in the opener was young wing Mohamed Diawara, even as New York's forwards and bench struggled to get anything going. But now Mike Brown has several reasons to give Diawara some run.
Mohamed Diawara's previous success for Knicks vs. Celtics
The last time the Knicks traveled to TD Garden was right before the All-Star break last season when they defeated them, 111-89. One of the breakout players in that matchup was Mohamed Diawara, who scored 10 points, grabbed three rebounds, recorded an assist, and was nails on defense with his on-ball suffocation of Boston wings.
In the 26:30 that Diawara was on the floor in that February win in Boston, the Knicks were fantastic on both ends, recording a 131.4 ORTG, 88.2 DRTG, and +43.1 net rating. Eight of Boston’s 10 turnovers came while Diawara was on the floor, and the Celtics had a 42.1% TS% in those minutes against Diawara.
Despite Diawara being credited with a 63.6% dFG% (defensive FG%) for the game, that didn’t come close to telling the full story. His two most-guarded Celtics players were Jaylen Brown, who is now with the Sixers, and Derrick White. He held the Celtics to a 42.9 ORTG when he was guarding Brown (14.0 partial possessions) and an 82.2 ORTG when he was defending White (7.3 partial possessions).
For what it’s worth, Diawara guarded Paul George for just a grand total of three seconds in their December defeat last season vs. the Sixers—a game that occurred right after the team’s NBA Cup Final victory. He played just 3:16 in that game, so not much data there. Also, this will be Jayson Tatum’s first game vs. the Knicks since he injured his Achilles in the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals at MSG. At that time, Diawara was playing in France.
The Diawara-Karl-Anthony Towns connection could be worth Knicks exploring for a boost
If the Knicks are looking for a perfect blend of offensive and defense, and Diawara’s name gets called, it makes sense to go back to a two-man combo that worked amazingly last season: Diawara playing alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. They shared the floor for 371 possessions last season, posting a 129.6 ORTG, 107.2 DRTG, and +22.5 NETRTG.
How does Mike Brown find minutes for Diawara? Could he take some of Jordan Clarkson’s minutes? Clarkson only played 8:29 in the opener vs. the Sixers, but the Knicks’ offense was at its best with him out there, posting a 150 ORTG and +38.2 NETRTG in those minutes, as they outscored the Sixers, 27-19.
Could Shamet maybe see a decline in minutes? He struggled in the opener shooting the ball for the Knicks, going 2-of-7 from the field and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc in the 24:45 he played.
However, he was a team-high +11, and the Knicks had a 118.2 ORTG, +18.2 NETRTG, and 56.0% TS% in his minutes. With him off the floor in the opening game, they had a 76.1 ORTG, -32.2 NETRTG, and a 36.8% TS% as an offense.
The Knicks signed Diawara to a new four-year, $11.3 million contract after turning heads in his rookie season as a second-round draft selection. After getting paid, you’d think that the Knicks will not be as hesitant to throw him into more meaningful playing situations.
What better way to throw him into the fire in his sophomore year than at an arena that he had flourished in at one time last season in Boston?
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