News & Blogs
Knicks Midseason Report Card: New coach, new ceiling, mostly straight A’s – New York Daily News
Sources: Porzingis out vs. OKC but nearing return – ESPN
Knicks 128, Hawks 125: But if Thibs was coaching…. – Posting & Toasting
Knicks Bulletin: ‘Who cares what people say?’ – Posting & Toasting
Knicks’ Young Stars Shine: End of Bench Talent Explodes! #shorts – Knick of Time
How High Can The Knicks Go? | KFS Weekly Wagers | Knicks Film School – Knicks Film School
EXTENDED: KNICKS at PELICANS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | December 29, 2025 – NBA
Deuce, OG & Brunson Spark Knicks Comeback Win Over The Pelicans | Post Game Show | EP 672 – Knicks Fan TV
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88 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2025.12.30)”
Now that this team has something of a winning culture, it makes it clearer that when young, raw players are gradually integrated with players and coaches who know how to win, they become meaningful contributors. Aside from their great players, Miami and San Antonio always seemed to “find” talent later in the draft. Which was salt in the wound of the Knicks being so bad.
Now having said that, I could live with a 8, 9 man lineup against San Antonio tomorrow night.
I can’t believe I missed the Diawara breakout game. Although the negative 12 and the 18 points on 9 shots are telling different stories.
Owen, the negative differential for Diawara was not his fault, Saddiq Bey went on a ridiculous heater and was largely being guarded by others. His defense was actually impressive, at least that’s how I saw it.
Other small observations:
-That’s 2 straight games where KAT did not commit an offensive foul on a drive. He needs to keep that up.
-Kolek and Deuce both had very significant offensive rebounds down the stretch on long rebounds off of missed 3’s, and both kick-outs led to buckets for us. I remember how pissed I would get whenever Payton Pritchard would do that to us.
-Kolek had a very good defensive possession vs. I believe Saddiq Bey where he stonewalled him around the FT line and forced him to pick up his dribble and pass out.
-I will continue to note Diawara’s ridiculous length on extending to the rim with either hand on drives in transition. He missed a couple of bunnies but he is getting all the way to the rim on either side of the basket.
-Brunson seems to have some issues with dribbling into the right corner past the time line and getting stripped or trapped. Even though it is only a small problem, Brown has to help him to avoid that.
-I get that Brown is encouraging OG to drive past hard close-outs but he also needs to be careful to know his limitations in traffic.
-It seems to me that Brunson occasionally gets caught under the basket guarding a much bigger/taller player. I noticed it against Trey Murphy last night. Not sure if that’s by design in a rotation/switching scheme, but it’s almost an automatic bucket for the opponent.
-There was a play where KAT was guarding Trey Murphy out at the three point line, where Murphy picked up his dribble and became a dead stick, but rather than close in, KAT stayed far enough away for Trey to simply rise up and nail a 3. That is a fundamental gaffe that should never happen.
Last night felt like they made a conscious effort to get Mo involved. And he looked great considering his draft pedigree and where he started the season. The biggest difference between Thibs and Brown, and probably the most important, is the rigidity factor. Brown has no problem throwing stuff at the wall, whereas Thibs sticks to his guns. And I’m not sure it’s because Thibs is stubborn in that way because guys like IQ, Randle, Grimes, Deuce, and Mitch all developed on his watch. I think it’s moreso because of it being natural to go with what’s worked for you for such a long time. Does it make Brown a better coach? Who knows. But maybe Brown’s way of communicating and belief in turning over every stone is just a better fit. It certainly looks that way with the team getting early contributions from Kolek, Diawara, and even McCullar. I wanna see how he handles the rotation when Shamet is back because both he and Kolek deserve to be out there. Leon’s gonna have to trade a guard or 2, and I kinda don’t want that. Unlike many, I enjoy the Clarkson experience on this team. He’s the unpredictable thing when things get predictable.
And I gotta say this- I understand the infatuation with Zion. When he’s healthy and engaged, he’s damn near Laker Shaq unstoppable. The way he played last night was super impressive. As a basketball fan, I hope he gets and stays healthy. I would definitely trade KAT for him if I could trust he and Mitch’s availability
This same question was asked last week when it was asked how he’d handle the rotation when Deuce was available.
He answered it by going 12 deep in the first half if the thought the situation called for it.
In my opinion, Thibs’ worst quality was being ridiculously risk-averse. Macri made an excellent analogy, saying that Thibs is like a very picky eater at a buffet table who is extremely reluctant to try new things, whereas Brown will take a spoonful of this, a spoonful of that to see how it tastes before making a judgment. No matter how much anyone would say “C’mon Thibs, try it, it’s a delicacy!” he just wouldn’t take the risk.
And I think that is ultimately why he was fired by his longtime friend, Leon Rose…whether with pressure from Dolan or not. He said “It’s my way or the highway” one (or lots) too many times. Certain players, and Dolan, had had enough. It remains unclear to me whether Leon was happy for Dolan’s presence in post-mortem player meetings because it helped justify letting Thibs go despite his huge extension kicking in, or whether Leon defended Thibs but was overruled by his impetuous, meddling boss. Either way, I think it was a very awkward spot for Leon, and Dolan kind of bailed him out.
Brown is sort of the opposite of Thibs, both as noted above, and in general as an upbeat collaborative communicator. For now, it’s a very refreshing change.
I’m still lusting after Zion and think he’s buy-low asset in the game since Chris Webber. Get him away from that franchise and he will mature overnight.
Seeing Diawara hit shots is fun and encouraging, but realistically any of the top 1,000 or so basketball players in the world can get hot for a night and we don’t know how far along his shot really is.
What really has me intrigued are the other, “stickier” things he’s displayed, albeit in a small sample size. His handle already looks better compared to summer league, he’s thrown some genuinely impressive passes, and is he…second to OG in terms of who on the roster you’d want to stick on a wing giving you problems? There’s at least an argument right?
At a minimum, he’s already the Knicks franchise leader in “games won due to a French draft pick.”
To my eyes, McCullar is a better defender than Diawara. Mo has length, but still loses his assignment from time to time. Some of Bey’s open shots was night were on Diawara (which is why I think Brown didn’t play him as much in the second half).
Apparently Diawara wears number 51 because that’s where he was drafted. And he had no idea if he’d be drafted at all, although he did work out with a bunch of teams.
See
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6928181/2025/12/30/knicks-og-anunoby-all-nba-defense/
In my opinion, Thibs’ worst quality was being ridiculously risk-averse.
I think maybe it’s time to stop trying to justify firing the most successful Knicks coach in 25 years after the most successful Knicks season in 25 years. Let’s save that for when Brown likely gets canned in the next two or three years.
Seeing Diawara hit shots is fun and encouraging, but realistically any of the top 1,000 or so basketball players in the world can get hot for a night and we don’t know how far along his shot really is.
What really has me intrigued are the other, “stickier” things he’s displayed, albeit in a small sample size. His handle already looks better compared to summer league, he’s thrown some genuinely impressive passes, and is he…second to OG in terms of who on the roster you’d want to stick on a wing giving you problems? There’s at least an argument right?
At a minimum, he’s already the Knicks franchise leader in “games won due to a French draft pick.”
<a href="Seeing Diawara hit shots is fun and encouraging, but realistically any of the top 1,000 or so basketball players in the world can get hot for a night and we don’t know how far along his shot really is.
What really has me intrigued are the other, “stickier” things he’s displayed, albeit in a small sample size. His handle already looks better compared to summer league, he’s thrown some genuinely impressive passes, and is he…second to OG in terms of who on the roster you’d want to stick on a wing giving you problems? There’s at least an argument right?
At a minimum, he’s already the Knicks franchise leader in “games won due to a French draft pick.”"
I'm sticking with my post-draft "his floor is Precious Achieuwa" take.
To me Mo’s poise was different last night; he looked like he belonged out there. His finishing at the rim was the shakiest part.
Marechal, I agree that McCullar looks like the better defender rn, although he has at least 3-4 years experience on Mo. I was actually surprised McCullar didn’t get more minutes until late, since the defense (aside from OG) was Swiss cheese.
I’m glad our entire roster will be ready to play for many reasons. 1. It’s much better for team morale when everyone gets a chance and 2. All of these guys have specialties that can help the team in certain situations.
The way I look at it, your starters need to be good/great at a wide range of skills while bench players mostly need to have one or two very useful skills. Now Brown knows he can bring in McCullar when he needs extra wing defense, Shamet when he needs more 3pt shooting, Kolek when he needs more passing… and that the other players are used to playing with them in game situations. That just seems like found money to me.
Here’s that thread for reference, some pretty hot takes there!
I agree with TNFH that any young player can have a hot shooting night. That goes for McCullar as well. But Diawara has some things that you can’t teach. His combination of length , motor, and coordination really jumps off the screen. When he stands next to OG he looks like the bigger-framed, taller, and longer player. He runs the break like a deer, long strides, great extension with either hand. He throws crisp, accurate passes. As to the shot, he has clearly worked on his footwork, balance, and release (is that Patton’s work again?) He also has a cockiness to him, like he’s not afraid of anyone out there.
He’s 20 years old, and won’t turn 21 until after the season. It was mentioned on the broadcast that he only started playing basketball 6 years ago. If the shooting comes around and stabilizes anywhere in the 30-35% range, and his defense and court awareness continue to mature, the sky is the limit. I get that he’s a rookie and probably not the guy you want to throw your lot in with when the 2026 playoffs roll around, but the potential to be a game-changing player down the line is clearly there.
(and sorry with the screwed up post above, had some trouble with trying to correct a bad link)
I think you nailed it Z-man. I’m not sure if Thibs was risk averse or was a kid who turned into an adult that couldn’t function if the peas touched the mash. For me Browns greatest strength is understanding that practice is not over when you finish “practicing.” The practice of playing basketball professionally extends onto the game court.
While Yabu was still a turnstile on D, the shooting was at least a bit encouraging. I’m glad he was able to get past his first few seconds where he had an egregious travelling violation and a defensive lapse. If nothing else, I’d like to see the cost of trading his contract decrease at least a little bit.
“When he stands next to OG he looks like the bigger-framed, taller, and longer player.”
I should modify this to exclude “bigger-framed”. But that post-up to start the game showcased his length.
Fun Fact: thanks to last night’s outlier game blowing up a small sample size, Mo Diawara now has the 12th highest BPM of all 2025 draft picks. Interestingly, 56th pick Will Richard, a guard out of Florida, is above him, but he’s also 23 years old.
Jokic only out 4 weeks. Good for the NBA he didn’t blow his ACL
“Jokic only out 4 weeks. Good for the NBA he didn’t blow his ACL”
Agreed! But it’s a re-evaluation in 4 weeks, so might be out longer.
It is SO nice to have Deuce back and closing games. With Hart out, I like opening with Diawara but closing with Deuce. He was Brunsonesque those last few minutes.
Some folks are lauding Yabu’s threes, but I just can’t. He’s unable to rebound unless the ball drops in his prodigious lap with nobody else around, and he tries but can’t stay on his man (and often loses him off the ball). I’d love to never see him on the court again. He actually makes my eyes hurt.
Speaking of such, was impressed with the Pels’ length. They looked so much taller than the Knick, which was probably mostly having a 6’8″ shooting guard warping my view.
Watched the last four minutes again and we so could have lost that game. A bunch of their shots just not falling, a few non-calls going our way, all of our shots falling. I appreciate the grit and resolve thing, but playing down to the other team’s level is so going to get us burned.
But fuck it, a win’s a win! I’m not complaining (he lied).
“Watched the last four minutes again and we so could have lost that game. A bunch of their shots just not falling, a few non-calls going our way, all of our shots falling. I appreciate the grit and resolve thing, but playing down to the other team’s level is so going to get us burned.”
I thought the Knicks had a bunch of quality looks in the 3rd quarter that didn’t go. Also thought that we played better D in the 2nd half. But yeah, it would be nice if didn’t have all of these nailbiters.
I’d never trade Karl for Zion. I’d be loathe to trade him from anyone. From a pure basketball perspective I can see other top tier players have certain gifts but he’s so intelligent and such a good person. Jalen is our best player and our hardest worker. With those two leading this group it’s looking like all 15 guys can contribute when they’re called. They have confidence and support. Such a different dynamic for those of us who’s suffered through the last quarter century with this team.
Knicks missed a ton of wide open threes last night that if they go win, save us having to go through another nail-baiter.
But the defense has been lacking the last couple of games. We’ve been able to turn it on and our captain has been super clutch but the D must improve – particularly with some really good teams coming up
The Pellies are a really weird team, they should be better than they are
I’m a hard no on Zion for the reasons danvt mentioned but also the injury and weight concerns.
KAT has been clearly trying very hard to improve on both ends, and that’s probably affecting his consistency. Still, you can depend on him being out there in most games for 30+ minutes and putting up a double-double in his sleep. With Zion, it’s a total crap shoot.
“The Pellies are a really weird team, they should be better than they are”
Even with the suboptimal trade-up for Queen, the Pels seem to be well-positioned to improve, and Borrego is a legit coach. While it’s highly unlikely, I wouldn’t be shocked if they went on a run and eked into the play-in, even though they are in last place, they’re 6.5 games out of the 10th spot. They have to figure out a way to get Jordan Poole out of there.
the knick is really not that tall averaging only 6 feet 5.9 inches across its top nine players even with two of those nine players being seven footers
pellies dont really need to figure out a way to get poole out of there they could just stop giving him playing time kind of like weve mostly been doing with yabu (altho last nights close game was kind of a weird one to bring him back from the dead)
The problem with benching Poole is that he’s on the books for $32M this year and $34M next year. That’s a very large salary spot, and he’s giving you vet’s minimum production.
The OTHER reason I say no to flipping KAT for Zion, along with what everyone else is saying, is the same reason I’m really hesitant to do the same with Giannis (although it’s Giannis, so probably yes) — both the Freak and Zion are inevitable bucket-getters that pretty much can’t be stopped, but neither are shooters, while KAT is — leading to a wildly different team approach, at least on offense. Not to mention we gain a power forward but lose a center.
It would never happen, but it shouldn’t anyway.
Yeah, the Pels are 5-5 in their last ten, and Queen and Fears look like legit good picks.
Idk what I’d do with Zion though. Maybe it’s best to just keep him along with another guy who is pushing for his minutes (Bey for instance)… keep him working hard. But it would also be nice to cash in on him and at least replace their 2026 1st. I guess they’ll weigh the offers they get at the deadline.
It’s also weird how Herb Jones has regressed. I’m sure someone will want to trade for him though.
Re: Poole, they’ll probably stretch him next year just to get rid of him. It’s astonishing that Poole has made the money he has in the NBA.
We won’t trade for Zion because he would clog up Brunson’s lane (which he has rightfully earned).
I was shocked to learn that Jordan Poole is only 26. Maybe Borrego can coach him up and/or utilize him better/less as younger guys develop.
I wonder whether Missi is stalled in his development, seems to be an afterthought right now.
I see him more like the missing ball handler Brunson usually plays great next to. Like a souped-up Julius Randle.
I wouldn’t trade KAT for him, though. The whole idea is to buy low on the guy. You trade Mikal for Zion. Or you trade KAT for Zion & Murphy. (And in both cases, I mean in the summer — you don’t break this team up now.)
My guess is he goes to the Heat or Spurs in a hilariously lopsided deal, and immediately unlocks his potential in a different setting.
Bourbon street was a lot for a young Zion to navigate. NYC is fun too. A concrete jungle gym.
i was surprised at just how skeezy bourbon street is when i briefly visited it many years ago
skeezy and also very underwhelming
Have you seen Smashing Machine yet, Doogie?
Jesus I didn’t realize how excellent Mikal’s stats are this year. I’m not sure I would do this, either!
Side quest: if we had to rank our best players in order this year, is it:
A) Brunson, OG, KAT, Bridges
B) Brunson, KAT, OG, Bridges
C) Brunson, OG, Bridges, KAT
D) Brunson, OG, Bridges, Huk (I got you, Raven 😉 )
confused about barrett came back after missing 15 games to play against the warriors two nights ago and then missed last nights game against the magic whats up with that guys injury
brunson kat mitch mikal hart in that order
I would rank best players this season:
Brunson, Mikal, OG, Hart, Kat, Mitch
In order of importance (irreplaceability) to winning at least during the regular season (the players we miss the most when they sit):
OG, Brunson, Mitch, Kat, Mikal, Hart
how about
brunson
kat
og
mikal
hart
kolek
mitch
Ranking our best players after 1 this year is much more difficult than I thought.
My initial reaction was to think KAT was being underrated, but a #4 ranking is eminently defensible and not even insulting given Mikal’s numbers and OG’s clear impact. Hart is casually having a career season, by the way.
I think I’d go Brunson, Mikal, KAT, OG, Hart, and then I’d immediately feel bad about it because sometimes it feels like Mitch is the glue holding this all together.
julius with an impressive 14 assists last night second best in his career after he had 17 assists for us one night
“but neither are shooters, while KAT is”
This is true. I think both Zion and Giannis rely on officiating more than Kat. Getting a charging violation in the modern NBA is so much more difficult than getting a blocking violation. Players literally go through guys chests every play and if the defender is moving backwards at all or sliding sideways even slightly the call goes against them. Lots of players make a living “going downhill” and it’s an effective strategy but I really like Karl’s game
Incredible quote from the Edwards piece referenced above:
Regarding Diawara – the fact that he’s allowed to shoot 3’s off the catch AND even had a pullup last night — to me that means that in practice he is shooting the ball very well. Players who can’t shoot 3’s in practice are definitely not allowed to shoot them (and with high volume) in games. Guys- he is putting up 6.1 3’s per 36 which is more than Towns and Bridges. He is letting it fly with confidence in game, which tells me that in practice he’s doing the same.
The theoretical defensive combo of McCullar (who was always thought to be an excellent defender in college- was a 3 time national DPOY semifinalist apparently?), Bridges, Diawara, OG, Mitch, Deuce…. literally over the space of the last 3 weeks I’ve gone from “we can’t play more than 7 players that we trust” to “how in the world are all 14 guys minus poor Pacome going to get the minutes they deserve?”
Re Zion – he needs to get out of New Orleans and to a team that puts serious resources into player health etc. That dude can score at will on anyone.
I think Brunson is in a class by himself and then all of KAT, Mikal, and OG are about even, with Josh being just a tad lower. If I had to order the three, I’d say KAT is second, OG is 3rd, and Mikal is 4th, but wouldn’t do it with any conviction.
To me, OG is the clear second-best — or, at least, second most important — guy. He’s the skeleton key who unlocks everybody else, and we look substantially better on nights he’s available than on nights when he’s out.
adventures in crazy lineup data. since the beginning of last year:
kat and mikal without jalen: 996 mins +11.97 per 100
jalen and mikal without kat: 963 mins +0.63 per 100
Alan, I can sort of agree. It’s the combo of his scoring and his ability to make huge defensive plays and guard virtually anyone that might push him ahead of KAT. But KAT opens a lot of stuff up as well, so it’s at least arguable.
Diawara‘s 3 looks good to me, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s real, at least when wide open like he was last night.
Yeah I think KAT is #2. It’s about unstoppable moves, and he has both the drive to the basket, and the 3.
it seems that our most *impactful* guys are our defensive stalwarts—the guys who you just cant miss when they are on the floor because of their overall effect on the game
in this way i would say mitch is first (too bad he cant play more minutes) followed closely by og and then deuce and then bridges/hart i think mccullar can work his way up that ladder but thats a different answer to a different question
I don’t really care who’s the best player on the team. But are we the deepest team in the league?
if the spurs shoot 7 of 31 (23 percent) from 3 again when we play them we can beat them again
I mean, the Thunder still exist. But we definitely seem deeper than we all thought earlier in the year. Remember when the team seemed so thin that Shamet’s industry felt crushing? I’m sure he’ll be useful when (or if) he comes back, but Kolek has blossomed, Diawara is showing real signs, McCullar has proved useful, and even when Brunson is out, we’re a least competitive.
And when you couple this better-than-expected depth with our top-end talent, we’re looking awfully good at the moment. We’ll see how we do as the schedule gets tougher, but I don’t have much to complain about lately.
Other than OKC, I think Boston and Houston are pretty deep.
McCullar might’ve gone at the end of the 1st if it weren’t for his injury. He’s probably ahead of Diawara by quite a bit, depending on where each of their 3p% levels out.
I disagree, EB. I think Brown really likes Mo’s length and the way he walls off the point of attack.
While it’s an awesome development, I’m not going to get too excited by our depth on the basis of a couple of good games by Diawara and McCullar. There’s 50 games left. Those guys’ names have never been written on an opposing whiteboard. Pretty much every team’s 12-15th players can come in and have a good or even a great game or two. I’m glad they are getting real reps just in case, but it will be a long time before I think they can be trusted to eat minutes in a playoff game. Kolek is th only guy that is close to being called “depth” with any degree of confidence, and even that’s pushing it.
Let’s just pray that everyone stays reasonably healthy and we don’t need to roll the dice on them.
Interesting. I offered one option where Bridges was ahead of KAT but I didn’t consider any where Bridges was ahead of OG. I’m surprised to see multiple folks have it that way.
It feels like KAT has the same impact on our offense that OG has on our defense. It might not show up as much in on/off stats, though, bc Mitch is a whole cottage industry of ORtg with his rebounding.
I think this is the only reasonable conclusion that he has been playing very well in practice and nailing a bunch of threes.
The notion that Brown started him when he had other viable alternatives was the first clue. Then he let it fly the first open look he had in the corner, and didn’t pass up a clean look all night. The idea when ge got a look he didn’t hesitate or look for established offensive players like Brunson, Bridges, KAT and OG shows he was brimming with confidience.
If he had been the 5th player taken inb the draft and in his first 129 minutes he nailed 10 of 22 threes at 6’9″ with a 7’4″ wingspan, we’d be pretty stoked.
We all understand the lol sample size position (and it is legit), but the 20 year old has made significant strides since looking like a newborn foal in the Summer League.
pretty much agree with zman…let’s pump the brakes on coronating the bench as deepest or whatever in the league…freakin atlanta and pelicans aren’t exactly “measuing sticks”…but nevertheless it is very encouraging to even see some young”er” dudes playing and doing well…there is something about diawara that just feels like he has some siakam in him with a sprinkle of bougquet garni from three..
I think you’d like it, Doogie. Dwayne Johnson gave the best performance of the year.
thats definitely the first time that ive seen bou(g)quet garni used on this or any other forum what a great pull!
“there is something about diawara that just feels like he has some siakam in him with a sprinkle of bougquet garni from three..”
There are some similarities, but Siakam had something very special about him pretty early on, especially on offense, with some very refined skills. Mo is not there yet, but who knows? He’s only 20.
Thing is, Diawara *reportedly* had better measurements than Siakam did… a 3/4″ longer wingspan and 2.5″ higher standing reach, and Siakam was 2 years older at the 2016 draft than Diawara was in 2025.
I think if Diawara went to the NCAA instead of the NBA he’d be a sure-fire first next year, maybe even a lottery pick. I don’t think you can really gauge a very young player in the Euro league unless they really stand out.
?????
You mean his 4.2 PPG his 22 yr old season or his 7.3 PPG in his 23 yr old season? Maybe you were referring to his bricking 109 of his first 139 3s at a crisp 22%? And that was after 2200 minutes in the NCAA.
there was one sequence that really stood out to me and it was mo guarding some ball handler on the perimeter – mo just took up so much space extending his arms and crouching a bit, he looked like a soccer goalie out there…
“?????
You mean his 4.2 PPG his 22 yr old season or his 7.3 PPG in his 23 yr old season? Maybe you were referring to his bricking 109 of his first 139 3s at a crisp 22%? And that was after 2200 minutes in the NCAA.”
I have watched a ton of film breakdown of both players. If you compare Siakam’s 20yo college film, let alone his rookie film, to Diawara’s you’ll see that Siakam was much more polished offensive player inside the arc. You will also see a much more polished defensive player with great timing on blocks. Siakam took a whole 7 threes his rookie year in over 800 minutes, and took a while to start knocking them down, but he shot over 51% from 2 and then as a sophomore he shot over 60% from 2. Then in his third year he was the leagues MIP and arguably the second best player in the playoffs next to Kawhi on a championship run.
I would love for Diawara to develop on the same trajectory as Siakam did, but I don’t think their games neatly overlap despite their physical similarities. Mind you, no one was higher on him immediately post-draft than I was (and again, I watch a lot of his film, ptmilo posted a 3-hour sample and I watched all of it, good and bad), and that has remained true as we speak. But I’m not going to start making comparisons based to all-stars based on 128 spotty minutes heavily skewed by one hot game.
“there was one sequence that really stood out to me and it was mo guarding some ball handler on the perimeter – mo just took up so much space extending his arms and crouching a bit, he looked like a soccer goalie out there…”
Mo’s defensive radius when he’s in his crouch with his hands up is very impressive. I also love the way he slides his feet and slithers over screens, and he has the length to contest from behind without fouling if he can keep from being handsy and jumpy. In a way, he seems more like an oversized Mikal than a poor man’s OG.
I don’t know about any of these comps for Diawara, but the sheer fact that he is able to get on the floor at age 20 and not embarrass himself is really promising. He’s very raw and he’s still managing to hold his own. Every time he does something positive out there it’s just tantalizing.
I think tantalizing is a great word for him. The combination of physical tools, court awareness, motor, ambidexterity, and straight-line ball skills are way more pleasing to the eye than the shit we saw from Ntilikina and Knox. If his development (especially shooting) stalls out, then he won’t amount to much more than a situational guy, but he seems like a sure-fire NBA player even if he just makes typical age-related development.
In other words, as I had originally stated, his floor is Precious Achiuwa…a high-motor athletic long wing who is too discombobulated to ultimately can’t be counted on for consistent quality rotation minutes. But the ceiling? If he can actually knock down 3’s and score in the post? I don’t even know where to put it.
So tomorrow we should have everyone other than Josh and Landry available, correct? I still think that Brown is gonna start Diawara, but may only play him a few 1st Q minutes, depending on how we start. Maybe he goes with Deuce, but probably wants to keep him in a bench role, which is where he will be when Josh gets back.
Starters: JB, KAT, Mikal, OG, Mo
Bench: Mitch, Deuce, Clarkson, Kolek
Situational: Yabu, McCullar, Jemison, Huk (If available).
DNP-CD: Dadiet
Out: Josh, Landry
I wonder when we’ll get an update on Landry, should be any day.
Bad news: Mitch ruled OUT and Huk is questionable. Maybe we’ll see a lot of Diawara, etc. after all.
It helps that Vassell (left adductor strain) is out and Castle (thumb) is questionable for the Spurs. But this will be a tough game without Mitch.
it makes me laugh a bit watching jemison the third moving his big ol’ feet around to defend, his foot movement is so overly dramatic, it’s like he’s trying to get himself unstuck from mud all the time…
Mitch is out again with his ankle, and two games in a row means he is experiencing soreness from his stress reaction condition. Who knows when he’ll return.
Has to be dealt with carefully. Dereck Lively and Zach Edey have both had to be shut down with similar conditions.
in a battle of paper tigers, the lake show is a no-show…
Seems to have coincided with the recent increase in his minutes, he went 26, 22, and 26 during a stretch of playing 5 games in 9 nights.
Seems like it’s gonna get sore every time he plays a lot, and when it does, they are going to shut him down.
The Lakers are at best a play in team.
The Luka trade remains atrocious, but so does his defense.
Facts. Mo started playing basketball at 15yrs old. He’s in a perfect situation surrounded by no nonsense veterans and learning to attack the rim from Josh Hart and OG while not pressured to do too much.
With a 7’4” wingspan, good defensive insticts, ball handling, passing skills and a decent but improving jumpshot, he’s only question to be answered over next couple of years is mental toughness.
If he shows up to training camp in October with +20 pounds of muscle, that’s a great signal for his careeer development.
Say what you want but Nico built a perefect team for Luka & Kyrie to be succesful. Then Luka showed up overweight, got injured and Adelsons had to pay the NBA rookie owners wig. Pelinka needs to hire Nico as a special secret consultant or just send Lebron to pastures & hit copy and paste.
Mikal Bridges this year has seen an increase in both 3pt% and 2pt%, an increase in 3PAr, an increase in AST%, an increase in TRB%, has doubled his STL% and BLK%, and has lowered his TOV%.
It has been a remarkable turnaround, a career year for him. He’s shooting more threes and taking more shots near the basket, and fewer midrange jumpers. This is the player we thought we were getting when we traded for him.
Say what you want but he traded a generational player for pennies on the dollar. He deserves his fate.