When the New York Knicks signed Jeremy Sochan to the veteran minimum just a few short weeks ago, it was widely expected that rookie Mohamed Diawara would be the one who would suffer most from his arrival.
Considering they both play the same position and that Sochan is only four years removed from being selected ninth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, whereas Diawara is merely a recent second-round pick himself, such a belief seemed rather logical.
However, now six full games into the rotational experiment, it seems that there's a growing case that the first-year pro is far from a loser with regard to the former lottery talent's addition. In fact, based on recent trends, an argument could be made that he may very well be the biggest winner of the signing altogether.
Mo Diawara shows mental toughness with Jeremy Sochan now on Knicks
As recently as last week, head coach Mike Brown publicly acknowledged that Diawara's role in the rotation was expected to be quite different compared to the one he held prior to Sochan's arrival.
For reference, during the eight games directly before Sochan put pen to paper on his deal with the Knicks, the rookie was seeing 15.8 minutes per night while averaging 6.8 points on 46.2 percent shooting from deep.
In the early stages of his introduction, it appeared that the Frenchman was destined to see his place in the rotation fade into obscurity for the remainder of the campaign, as he saw just eight and four minutes, respectively, in his first two games post All-Star break, followed by a DNP in game three.
However, recently, Diawara has seen his number called upon to log significant action in back-to-back bouts against the Milwaukee Bucks (22 minutes) and San Antonio Spurs (14 minutes), both of which saw him registering one of the highest plus-minuses on the night and averaging 12.0 points and 3.5 rebounds on 37.5 percent shooting from distance along the way.
Sochan, meanwhile, logged roughly eight minutes in total during these aformentioned outings.
Needless to say, above his steady shooting and impressive defensive chops, the biggest takeaway from Diawara's recent production has been his mental toughness and fortitude.
Being ready to contribute at a moment's notice is far from an easy task, especially for someone as young and inexperienced as the first-year forward.
Yet, stunningly enough, Diawara has proven himself capable of exactly this, which has not only aided in New York's current win streak but also has almost certainly upped his chances of reclaiming a consistent role within coach Brown's on-court scheme.
Considering initial expectations were that his development could be stunted as a result of the Sochan signing, his recent play should be seen as a major unexpected win for the 20-year-old and, in a way, the Knicks' front office for finding such a mentally strong prospect.