New York Knicks fans have been so caught up in the excitement of adding Jose Alvarado at the February 5 trade deadline that they may not be fully aware of the recent breakout of another promising defensive specimen.
Over the past few games, coach Mike Brown has opted to use rookie forward Mohamed Diawara as a regular in the club's on-court rotation, seeing an average of 20.7 minutes since February 4. To put this into perspective, over the previous 50 games of the season, he had seen just 5.6 minutes a night and had been on the receiving end of numerous DNPs.
Now, though his on-paper numbers may not necessarily scream "difference-maker," as he's averaging just 6.0 points and 1.7 boards during this stretch, it's his production on the less glamorous side of the ball, as well as the sheer eye test, that clearly warrants the Frenchman serious praise.
Mohamed Diawara has been tremendous for Knicks in increased action
Over their last three outings, the Knicks have picked up two statement wins against the title-contending Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics.
Diawara logged 14 and 26 minutes in each bout, respectively, with his performance against Boston, where he notched 10 points, three boards, two assists, and a steal, earning him Defensive Player of the Game honors.
Over this three-game stretch, the Knicks may be putting forth one of the league's more middling defensive punches (rank 13 with a rating of just 112.1), but the 20-year-old has quietly been producing like one of the game's best defensive talents throughout this span.
Among those in the league who have logged over 50 minutes played since February 4, Diawara ranks within the top 20 in opponent field goal percentage (43.0) and as the 11-best in opponent three-point percentage (26.0).
With this same qualifier in place, he also ranks second among his New York teammates in on-court defensive rating (100.0) and fourth in total plus-minus.
Yes, Diawara is still an incredibly raw project player who's far from being labled as a fixture within coach Brown's in-game scheme.
However, with his ability to up the team's tempo of play (ranks first in on-court pace among those who have logged over 100 minutes), coupled with his innate talents of guarding any position from one to four, it appears he's slowly but surely carving out a consistent spot within the Knicks rotation during this middle stage of the campaign.