The New York Knicks obviously made a relatively big splash on the buyout market, signing Jeremy Sochan. However, the next decision Mike Brown makes could be crucial to not only the success of the Knicks, but the future success of rookie Mohamed Diawara. He will have to decide whether or not to cut Diawara’s minutes in order to let Sochan play.
If Brown decides to prioritize playing Sochan, then it could end up hurting the growth that Diawara has already put on display. And that’s not ideal, considering the relative lack of youth the Knicks currently have on their roster.
But there are a lot of things that go into the potential decision.
Knicks should not give Mohamed Diawara's minutes to Jeremy Sochan
Diawara has been a revelation for Brown and the Knicks this season. He was the No. 51 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Few people expected him to have this big of a role in New York at all, let alone right away.
The 20-year-old rookie has appeared in 45 games for the Knicks this year, which is the sixth-most of any player on the roster. He’s only playing 7.1 minutes per contest, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
In the last four games before the All-Star break, Diawara got some extended opportunities. Instead of his season-long average of 7.1 minutes per contest, he played 21.5 minutes.
During those four games, the rookie averaged 7.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting 57.1% from the floor and a ridiculous 46.7% from deep range on 3.8 three-point attempts per contest.
Immediately taking away his minutes after such an impressive stint could seriously hurt his growth, and that wouldn’t be a good idea for the Knicks.
Plus, the concept of Sochan stealing minutes from Diawara doesn’t make sense. At least, not if you consider what position the Knicks should be playing Sochan at.
Sochan failed as a forward in San Antonio. He needs to be a center, playing small-ball five minutes. Saying that he could take Diawara’s minutes is to say that the Knicks will use him as a forward. That would be a mistake.
If Brown makes the correct decision to use Sochan primarily as a small-ball five, there should be room for both him and Diawara to earn minutes moving forward.
Taking minutes away from Diawara right now could be a huge mistake, and doing it so Sochan can play the four would be an even worse idea.