While New York Knicks fans and the actual team are still riding high after their first NBA title in 53 years, the 2026–27 season is rapidly approaching.
It will be Year 3 in the league for Pacôme Dadiet. His first two seasons didn’t exactly provide many noteworthy moments. He seems hard-pressed to find any type of role again this season, as the Knicks are bringing back much of their championship roster.
On Wednesday and Saturday, the 21-year-old took part in two World Cup qualifying games with Ivory Coast. While Ivory Coast came out victorious in both, Dadiet didn’t have great performances in either.
Dadiet also didn't play well in summer league
Dadiet has seen little time on the floor for the Knicks, first under Tom Thibodeau and now under Mike Brown. In two years, he has appeared in just 47 regular-season games for a total of 247 minutes, the majority of which came in garbage time. Dadiet was a late first-round pick, taken with the 25th overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Playing in the World Cup qualifiers—as well as the summer league in July—provides Dadiet with much-needed game time in which he should be able to make more of an impact. In all fairness to the players, this is Dadiet going up against lesser competition than he does in the NBA. Making more of an impact just hasn’t happened, though.
He made just one of his eight three-point attempts on Wednesday against Mali and tied for a team-worst plus/minus of -10. It wasn’t all bad, as Dadiet did grab nine rebounds—five offensive—but these are games in which he needs to prove his NBA worth. He’s the only active NBA player to take part in Wednesday’s game.
Saturday was a better outing from 3-point range (3-7) in Ivory Coast's 72-66 victory over Egypt. It was from inside of the arc where he struggled, making just two of his eight attempts. Despite his club winning, Dadiet finished with a team-worst plus/minus of -14.
Third-year players don’t often play in the summer league, but Dadiet did. It’s not a great sign if a third-year player doesn’t look head and shoulders above much of the competition, and Dadiet didn’t. In four games, he shot 36.4% from the field and 16.0% from beyond the arc, with more than twice as many turnovers as assists.
While fans may view him as a first-round bust, he is also just 21 years old. It can be easy to forget—or sometimes, not realize—that Dadiet was drafted higher than expected in 2024. This occurred because he was willing to sign for 80% of the standard rookie-scale amount for the 25th overall pick.
Hope that Dadiet can eventually develop into a key Knicks player is beginning to wane, though. His next opportunity to play for Ivory Coast will be on Sunday when the team faces Angola.
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