Knicks Notes: Bridges, Clarkson, Diawara, Turnovers
Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has continued to be an iron man since arriving in New York, but has struggled at times with his offensive consistency. This was exemplified in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, as Bridges went scoreless for the first time this season and the third time since joining the team in 2024, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
According to Bridges, while his lack of offensive production was glaring, it stemmed from defensive issues.
“Being in foul trouble takes me away from being out there to try to help my team win,” he explained. “I’ve got to be better, starting off the game fouling a shooter from three.”
Bridges had hoped Monday’s game against the Clippers could serve as a bounce-back opportunity, but the team lost again and Bridges once again struggled to impact the game offensively, scoring seven points on eight shots. The lone starter not to score in double digits, he didn’t make a shot until midway through the second quarter.
However, head coach Mike Brown had Bridges’ back after the game, according to Bondy.
“He’s human and he’s going to have some nights (when he struggles to shoot),” Brown said. “His track record shows that he can go get it done. It’s not anything I’m concerned about or I’m looking at. And like I said, when he does have nights like that, how else can you impact the game, and he’s shown that he can do that.”
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- With his team struggling to put together any offensive rhythm against the Lakers, Brown turned to Jordan Clarkson in the fourth quarter. Clarkson played 10 minutes, his highest single-game total since February 11, and scored nine points on four shots. “He’s a guy we can lean on. He can put the ball in the hole,” said Brown, as relayed by Bondy. “We were struggling to do that. So I threw him out there to see if we can mix it up. He definitely helped us. But it was too big of a deficit.”
- Clarkson will face off against the Jazz, with whom he played for five and a half seasons, on Wednesday, but is unsure what reaction he will receive, or what he will feel himself, Mark Medina writes in an interview for Essentially Sports. “I don’t know what my emotions are going to be,” Clarkson said. “I’m going to try to keep my cool.” While the veteran guard’s role has changed with the Knicks, he has stayed ready and his teammates have appreciated his attention to detail and professionalism. “Being a teammate of his has been great,” Jalen Brunson said of Clarkson. “Being able to talk to him all the time and consistently has been great for me. I love him and everything that he’s done.“
- Mohamed Diawara grew up hearing all about the Clippers’ Nicolas Batum, another lanky French forward who could shoot and pass well for his size, Bondy writes in a separate story. On Monday, the Knicks’ rookie got the first poster dunk of his career, and it just so happened to be on his fellow Frenchman. “I was just driving and dunked the ball and fortunately (Batum) was there,” Diawara said. “… Funny to see that. My first dunk — my first poster — was against him.” Diawara finished the game with five points, four rebounds, and two assists.
- Brown was frustrated by what he calls “self-inflicted wounds,” especially on the offensive end, as the Knicks lost their two games in Los Angeles, Kristian Winfield writes for the New York Daily News. New York turned the ball over 19 times against the Lakers and 20 against the Clippers as their offense felt largely out of sorts. “[Nineteen] turnovers on the road, and this is not a knock on [the Lakers], but they’re not gonna trap and double team and all that stuff,” Brown said after the first loss. “But we get into the paint and jump in the air and turn the ball over.” Brunson noticed similar issues on Monday, Bondy notes. “We were getting downhill and trying to make plays. But we got to be better playing off two feet obviously, playing more controlled,” Brunson said. “But (the Clippers) got a lot of guys on their team who are steal guys, who are long wingspans, play passing lanes. That’s what they do. We played to their strengths.”
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Alvarado, Sochan, Diawara
The load management plan that the Knicks instituted for Mitchell Robinson has been successful so far, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Robinson has already appeared in 44 games, which tops his totals from each of the past two seasons, and he’s on pace for his highest number of games played since 2021/22. Coach Mike Brown credits his medical team for keeping Robinson healthy, along with Robinson himself for being on board with the strategy.
“He’s bought into this plan and he’s tried to execute it at the highest of high levels,” Brown said. “So I give all those guys a ton of credit because I’m just kind of jumping on the bandwagon and following their lead. To see him out there, because the best thing almost anybody can have is their availability, so to see him out there as much as he’s been out there has been really good for us.”
Part of the plan includes not playing Robinson on back-to-back nights, regardless of the circumstances. Brown opted to use Robinson in Tuesday’s win at Toronto rather than saving him for tonight’s game against Oklahoma City, the reigning NBA champs, explaining that he felt beating the Raptors was more important because they’re an Eastern Conference rival, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
Robinson came up limping and grabbed at his ankle after fighting for a rebound in the first quarter on Tuesday, but he told reporters it was nothing serious.
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- Speaking to the media before tonight’s game, Brown saluted team president Leon Rose for acquiring Jose Alvarado from New Orleans at the trade deadline (Twitter video link from Ian Begley of SNY.tv). Alvarado has been getting regular minutes at backup point guard and is averaging 8.0 points and 4.0 assists in 10 games since joining the Knicks. “I gotta give Leon credit; he went out and got him, ” Brown said. … “The energy on top of the quickness that he brings to the table every time we step on the floor is irreplaceable.”
- It’s been a much different experience for Jeremy Sochan, another recent addition who joined the Knicks after agreeing to a buyout with San Antonio. Limited mostly to garbage time in seven appearances with New York, Sochan told Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express News (subscription required) that he’s still adjusting to his new surroundings. “I’m settling in,” he said. “It’s been chaotic for sure. It doesn’t help that it’s in season, so we’ve been traveling as well. Everyone has been welcoming — the owners and the players and the whole community. Everything has been positive.”
- Mohamed Diawara, the 51st pick in last year’s draft, is the latest in a string of second-round finds for the Knicks, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News observes in a subscriber-only piece. Diawara’s playing time has been modest, but he has impressed the team whenever he’s been given minutes. “First thing I would say is Mo is not afraid. I’ve said this to you guys before, for a young guy, I’ve thrown him out there in games — to start — on national TV, and he didn’t bat an eye,” Brown told reporters after Sunday’s game. “And he might start three games in a row, then he might not play the fourth game, he doesn’t bat an eye. He is the most confident young man I’ve been around.”
Knicks Notes: Towns, McBride, Diawara, Contender Status
While the Knicks have had a relatively successful season to this point, Karl-Anthony Towns‘ role in coach Mike Brown‘s offensive scheme has been a nagging issue all season long, writes The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy (subscription required). The responsibilities allocated to Towns have often appeared the least stratified and have been partially to blame for the big man putting up the lowest scoring total of his career since his rookie season, though the decline in his shooting percentages also falls on his shoulders.
Bondy believes that both Towns and Brown must shoulder the burden of fixing Towns’ offensive output, especially in regard to his number of field goal attempts, which are the lowest of his career. For the Knicks to be as effective as they can be, Towns needs to be a consistently major part of the offensive attack, and Bondy writes that there are too many games where that’s not the case.
Towns had the added distraction of being in and out of trade rumors, especially surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo, since last summer, but he’s trying his best to block out the noise, Steve Popper writes for Newsday.
“I continue to worry about what’s the task at hand,” Towns said. “That’s being the best player I can be for my brothers and my teammates here in New York, continue to go out there and impact winning. I keep saying that all the time. I know you guys think it’s redundant, but it’s true. It’s how I approach the year, the season. Every game is about can I impact winning the most.”
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- There’s still no specific return timeline for Miles McBride, who has been out since late January and underwent surgery for a sports hernia in early February, Bondy writes. “It’s going to be a process coming back,” McBride said. “I’m feeling the love from the whole organization. They want me back but they want me back right. So that’s the main thing.” McBride is having the best season of his career and is a key part of the Knicks’ improved depth this season, so his healthy return will be important, but it likely won’t be happening soon. “It’s really a slow process,” he said. “So I’m starting to do some form shooting (shooting without jumping). And I’m starting to do a few strengthening exercises for the area I was injured.”
- Mohamed Diawara has exceeded expectations as a rookie, but he got his first taste of how tough the league is when he was temporarily bumped from his usual spot in the rotation as Brown looked to see what newcomer Jeremy Sochan could bring off the bench. While that was a humbling moment, the first-year forward didn’t let it change his approach, according to Bondy. Brown is aware of how such a change could impact a young player and has tried to mitigate its effects. “Yes, it can [hurt his confidence],” Brown said. “But that’s my job more than anybody else’s is to make sure I communicate with him and anybody else when that happens. There’s a part of me — and I could be wrong about this — but there’s a part of me that doesn’t think so because I started him. And I thought it would rattle him. It doesn’t rattle him.” Diawara responded well against the Bucks on Friday as he was once again back in his customary spot in the rotation, Bondy notes in a separate piece. He had 10 points and led the team in plus-minus. Against the Spurs on Sunday, he put up 14 points in a blowout win.
- While there have been some questions about the ceiling of a Knicks team that has repeatedly lost to the East-leading Pistons, they looked like contenders on Sunday vs. the Spurs, Jared Schwartz writes for the Post. New York was able to snap San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak thanks to a strong outing from Mikal Bridges and smart defense from OG Anunoby and Towns on Victor Wembanyama, forcing him into seven turnovers and limiting him to just two points in the fourth quarter. “We started taking the right shots,” Brown said. “I told our guys ‘let that thing fly.’ Once we started letting it fly, good things started to happen.”
Knicks Notes: Towns, Anunoby, Bridges, Diawara, Brunson
The Knicks lost to the top-seeded Pistons again on Thursday, dropping a home game by 15 points after being blown out in their two visits to Detroit. The Pistons were down their starting and backup centers (All-Star Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart) due to suspensions, but Karl-Anthony Towns only managed two points on three field goal attempts in the first half, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
“I mean, our offense is our offense. It’s been that way all year,” said Towns, who finished with 21 points (on 7-of-14 shooting), 11 rebounds and four assists. “So we have our system and we’re gonna — regardless of who’s in the game or not in the game — we run the system that we have implemented for our team to the best of our abilities.”
Head coach Mike Brown reiterated after the game that the six-time All-Star big man is “comfortable” in New York’s offensive system, Begley notes, despite persistent questions about Towns’ role on that end of the court.
“We’re continuing to try to do different things to help free him up,” Brown said. “And we’ll continue to search to try to do different things to free him up throughout the course of the year.”
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- OG Anunoby‘s return to the court on Thursday was a forgettable one, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Anunoby, who previously said he’s still in pain after having his toenail removed, finished with eight points (on 3-of-13 shooting), zero rebounds and zero assists in 32 minutes. He also struggled to slow down Cade Cunningham, who torched the Knicks (42 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds) in an MVP-level performance, Schwartz writes.
- Starting wing Mikal Bridges was benched for the final nine-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter in favor of Landry Shamet, according to Stefan Bondy and Schwartz of The New York Post. Bridges recorded eight points (on 4-of-9 shooting), three rebounds and no assists in 25 minutes. “Landry had hit a couple shots. We needed to score,” Brown said. “They’re both really good defenders. And so I just stayed with Landry. But it wasn’t anything where, ‘Oh, I’m going to sit Mikal because he’s not doing this, or he’s not doing that.’ We were looking to score points and Landry was the only one to make a shot from behind the arc.”
- Rookie forward Mohamed Diawara tells Schwartz he’s not concerned about potentially losing playing time after the Knicks signed Jeremy Sochan. “I’m just gonna continue what I was doing,” Diawara told The Post prior to Thursday’s loss. “Keep working and being ready for each opportunity that I’m gonna get. I’m not worried about that. I know the coaching staff and the team is gonna do whatever is good for the team, and that’s what I’m trying to do.” For what it’s worth, Diawara played nine minutes on Thursday, while Sochan received 10.
- Jalen Brunson signed a team-friendly extension in the 2024 offseason, locking in $156.5MM over four years when he could have earned an additional $113MM if he had waited a year for free agency. The star point guard told Tom Kludt of Vanity Fair (subscription required) that he hopes the Knicks “do right” by him down the line after he took less money to help the team, as Andrew Battifarano of The New York Post relays. “If I’m thinking about playing well to make sure I get paid, that could mess with me,” Brunson told Vanity Fair. “I play best when I have a free mind, and that did that for me. A lot of people say I sacrificed for the team. One hundred percent I sacrificed for the team. But most importantly, I made sure my family and I are taken care of. … Obviously we’d love for them to do right by me. I think anyone would. I feel like I sacrificed.” As Bondy notes in a subscriber-only story, Brunson won’t be extension-eligible until 2027 and the earliest he could hit free agency would be 2028.
Knicks Notes: Sochan, Diawara, Anunoby, Brunson
After a disappointing end to his time in San Antonio, Jeremy Sochan is eager for a fresh start to his NBA career with the Knicks, writes Robert Sanchez of SNY.tv. With his hair dyed blue and orange in honor of his new team, Sochan talked to reporters on Wednesday about what he can contribute.
“I can do a little bit of everything, so whatever coach wants me to do, you know, whatever gets me on the court, I’m gonna do it and I’m gonna do it 100 percent,” he said. “… At the end of the day, I wanna be Jeremy. I wanna be myself. … I bring versatility, defense, energy, a little bit of tenacity, so I can’t wait.”
Sochan had plenty of options, with 10 teams reportedly expressing interest in signing him after he cleared waivers, but he said New York was “always at the top” of his preference list. He added that he had “refreshing conversations” with people throughout the organization and said it feels “very natural” now that he’s able to start practicing with the team.
“It’s just seizing whatever opportunity I get,” Sochan said. “And I think one of the reasons why I picked New York is it’s a very deep roster, a lot of really talented players and I think it’s a pretty cool opportunity just watching and to grow from that too. I still think I’m young, so just being around players that have established themselves and have done a lot of stuff in this league, I think is a crazy opportunity for me.”
There’s more from New York:
- It appears Sochan’s minutes will come at the expense of rookie forward Mohamed Diawara, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The Knicks want to get a long look at Sochan to see how he affects the team heading into the playoffs and determine if he’s a good fit to bring back next season. “[Sochan] knows the league. The league knows him. He knows the officials and vice versa. So he’s going to get an opportunity,” coach Mike Brown said. “But at the end of the day, I’m going to play who I think is best for us. Right now Jeremy is new. He hasn’t played for us. So I have to see rather quickly what we have in him before going to the playoffs.”
- OG Anunoby is officially listed as questionable for Thursday’s game with Detroit due to a toenail avulsion, but he and Brown both said he’ll be able to play, Bondy tweets. After missing the past four games, Anunoby was able to practice on Wednesday. He had the nail removed, according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic (Twitter link). “There’s a lot of pain,” Anunoby said. “It’s an open wound.”
- In an interview with Tom Kludt of Vanity Fair, Jalen Brunson references the discount he gave the Knicks on his last contract and states that he hopes to make up for it next time around. “Obviously we’d love for them to do right by me,” Brunson said. “I think anyone would. I feel like I sacrificed.”
Atlantic Notes: Diawara, Tatum, Nets Guards, Hart
Mohamed Diawara‘s emergence as a rotation player has made his future with the Knicks an offseason priority, Stefan Bondy writes for the New York Post.
Diawara, who has become an unexpectedly reliable shooter off the bench for New York, is on a one-year, $1.3MM contract that makes him eligible for restricted free agency this summer. Since the Knicks signed him to that one-year deal, he has become perhaps the team’s best draft pick since Miles McBride was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, Bondy writes in a separate piece.
“There’s just a lot of little things when you see Mo play that make you go, ‘Oh my gosh, wow,'” coach Mike Brown said. “And all those things, when you add them up to a possible opportunity, it gives you more confidence as a coaching staff to throw him out there and say, ‘OK, let’s see what’s going to happen.'”
While he has shown some interesting flashes of dribbling and passing at 6’9″, Diawara knows what he needs to focus on if he wants to succeed in the future.
“Three-point shooting and defense,” he said. “Those are things that are going to make me stay in the league for the longest.”
Bondy writes that the still-raw wing is not expected to command a large market as a restricted free agent but that his contract situation will be one of the more important ones for the team to resolve, after that of impending unrestricted free agent Mitchell Robinson.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- There’s still no timeline for Jayson Tatum‘s return from his Achilles tear, but there have been encouraging signs of late, including his recent 5-on-5 scrimmage with the Celtics‘ G League team. Teammate and co-star Jaylen Brown recently added his cautious endorsement, saying, “In terms of what I’ve seen, he looks pretty damn good,” according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (via Twitter).
- Nolan Traore knows the Nets are a work in progress, but he believes he and fellow rookie Egor Demin complement one another well and could become Brooklyn’s long-term backcourt, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “We complete each other, and we play great [together],” Traore said. “He is a good shooter, and it is always good for me to play with good shooters.” Head coach Jordi Fernandez says he likes what he’s seen from the two and challenges them to improve their physicality. Traore started the season in and out of Brooklyn’s rotation, but he has hit his stride of late, averaging 12.0 points and 4.8 assists on 43.2% shooting from deep in his last 12 games.
- Josh Hart is an identity-setter for the Knicks, but despite being an integral part of the team’s success, he knows he’s unlikely to ever get an All-Star nod, Steve Popper writes for Newsday (subscriber link). “I think you’d always like to be an All-Star,” Hart said. “Do I think a guy that’s my style of play is really going to be an All-Star? Probably not. If I was ever fortunate to be in that position, I would love it, but I just know the play style, it’s not the glitz and the glamour to it.” The Knicks have a record of 29-14 with Hart playing this season and have gone just 6-6 without him.
Knicks Notes: Sochan, Alvarado, Diawara, Deadline, Grades
The Knicks like Jeremy Sochan‘s “defensive versatility, upside” and ability to handle the ball, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link). The former lottery pick will reportedly sign a veteran’s minimum deal with New York covering the remainder of the season once he clears waivers.
As Begley observes, the Knicks’ ability to sign Sochan is largely due to the fact that Guerschon Yabusele agreed to decline his $5.8MM player option for next season because he wanted an opportunity to play again. New York was able to deal Yabusele to Chicago for Dalen Terry, then flipped Terry ($5.4MM) and a pair of second-round picks to New Orleans for Jose Alvarado ($4.5MM).
The Knicks saved enough money in those moves that they were able to add a player on the buyout market right away, rather than having to wait until the final weeks of the season.
The Spurs reached a buyout agreement with Sochan on Wednesday once he had another team lined up, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. While McDonald’s use of the term “buyout” suggests the fourth-year forward gave up some money as part of his release, that hasn’t been confirmed or reported elsewhere.
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- Backup guard Alvarado has quickly made a strong impression on his new team, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Alvarado took umbrage with Trendon Watford on Wednesday after the Sixers forward committed a hard foul on Mitchell Robinson, sparking a Knicks run that blew the game open and ultimately resulted in a 49-point victory. “He did a hard foul, but I think he did a little extra with the staring,” Alvarado said. “I’m just not gonna go for none of that. It was just in the moment. That’s when I’m at my best, I guess, getting a little active. It worked out in my favor.” The Brooklyn native had a huge game, tying a career high with eight threes en route to a season-high 26 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds in just 19 minutes. He was a team-high plus-35 as well, Schwartz notes. “That’s what we need,” Josh Hart said of Alvarado. “That’s what we want from him. Obviously that toughness, ability to help us get organized, ability to knock down shots. And defensively bring energy, bring physicality, get in the passing lanes, those kinds of things. That’s why he’s here.”
- Second-round pick Mohamed Diawara wasn’t expected to play much for the Knicks as a rookie, but the 20-year-old forward has taken advantage of his recent opportunities with OG Anunoby sidelined, James L. Edwards III writes for The Athletic. Hart says he noticed Diawara’s potential in training camp. “In camp, I thought he was going to be real good,” Hart said. “He’s young, raw and inexperienced. He’s good defensively, and he’s an even better shooter than I thought. It always looked good, but now it’s going in. I think he’s a good decision-maker in the pocket. He’s athletic and can finish at the rim, get guys involved. I love where he’s at, and he’s continued to work.”
- Fred Katz and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic review New York’s deadline deals and look ahead to the remainder of the season. Both writers stuck with their preseason predictions that the Knicks will make the NBA Finals, though neither feels as confident in that prediction as they did a few months ago.
- In a subscriber-only story for The New York Post, Stefan Bondy gives out midseason grades for each player on the standard roster, with Jalen Brunson receiving the lone A (Hart and Landry Shamet each got an A-minus). He also grades the performance of head coach Mike Brown (B) and the offseason moves of Leon Rose (C-minus).
Knicks Notes: 15th Man, Anunoby, Diawara, Alvarado, Clarkson
At the trade deadline, the Knicks were able to free up enough room below their second-apron hard cap to sign another player to the roster immediately rather than having to wait until late in the season to do so.
While they’re prohibited from adding a free agent whose pre-waiver salary was $14.1MM or higher, the Knicks can bring in anyone waived by March 1 and still have them be playoff-eligible. With that in mind, The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III breaks down five potential Knicks targets on the buyout market, singling out Chris Boucher, Marvin Bagley III, Haywood Highsmith, Drew Eubanks, and Mason Plumlee.
Edwards views third-string center as one of the remaining holes on the roster, hence the ample big man representation on his list. He also notes that the team could try to add another wing who can guard ball-handlers. Highsmith is one such name, as is Jeremy Sochan, whom he mentions as another player to keep an eye on — his article was published before news broke that the Spurs were waiving Sochan.
Given rumors that the Knicks had checked in on potential deals involving Sochan before the trade deadline, it stands to reason that the versatile defender, who is significantly younger than anyone on Edwards’ list, could be of interest to the team that is thin on bench forwards with size.
We have more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby is missing his fourth straight game tonight with a toenail avulsion on his right foot, and head coach Mike Brown says there’s no clear timeline for his return, per Edwards (via Twitter). Anunoby is considered day-to-day as a result of the injury. The Knicks are 1-2 during his absence heading into Wednesday’s game against the Sixers, having been blown out by the Pistons on Friday and then losing to the Pacers in overtime on Tuesday.
- One player benefiting from the absence of Anunoby is the Knicks’ lone rookie, Mohamed Diawara. While the 51st pick in the 2025 draft has been impressing offensively, he showed out defensively in Boston on Sunday and turned some heads while doing so, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. In that game, he guarded both Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown equally well and was rewarded by the team by being named the defensive player of the game, a tradition the Knicks have started under Brown. “It was tough because they’re both great players, but I was ready to take the challenge to guard them,” Diawara said. “And I was happy the coaches put me on them because that means they think I’m a great defender, and I appreciate it.” Brown noted that it’s the little things Diawara has shown the willingness to do, such as diving on the floor, making the right pass, and defending hard, that have impressed him the most.
- Jose Alvarado called his first game for the Knicks in Madison Square Garden “one for the books,” Dan Martin writes for the New York Post. “Playing for the Knicks is a huge thing, but I’m literally a kid from the same streets the fans are, and to be part of everything here, it’s a blessing,” the newly acquired point guard said. “It’s something I had to get used to and to get it out of the way, let’s get the ball rolling.” It wasn’t Alvarado’s best performance, as he finished with four points and five assists in 18 minutes as the Knicks lost to Indiana, but he believes it helped him calm the nerves related to his much-anticipated homecoming. “I was nervous today, for sure,” he said. “There was a lot going on. I was glad I got it out the way. I can’t wait to come back and get better and win some games here.“
- Jordan Clarkson, who spoke recently about adjusting to his diminished role with the Knicks, took to social media to vent some of those frustrations, Stefan Bondy writes for the Post. “Stop saying my minutes, I never had minutes,” Clarkson wrote in response to someone posting a question about how Collin Sexton would look with Clarkson’s playing time. Clarkson is playing the fewest minutes of his career and has struggled to find consistency, especially with his outside shot.
Knicks Notes: Diawara, Towns, Bridges, Brown, Robinson
Mohamed Diawara lasted until the No. 51 pick in June, which the Knicks acquired from the Clippers. The French forward admitted to James Edwards III of The Athletic that he was unsure if anyone would take him despite some positive feedback in pre-draft workouts.
“I didn’t know at all,” Diawara said. “I was hoping to get drafted but I had no clue if I would at all. I worked out with 13 teams. The feedback was pretty good. I did a lot of good workouts. I feel like I showed a lot of stuff to other teams. I felt confident that I wouldn’t regret anything.”
Diawara has been a pleasant surprise and made his biggest impact this season in a five-point win over New Orleans on Monday, contributing 18 points and two steals in 18 minutes in a starting role. Diawara is currently on a one-year contract and will be a restricted free agent after the season.
“His feel for the game is uncanny for someone his size and how young he is,” coach Mike Brown said. “Everything you try to teach him, he tries to absorb it. He works extremely hard. He’s long and a pretty good defender. He’s getting better. There are a lot of little things you watch and go, ‘Wow, oh my gosh.’ All of those things, when they add up, it gives you more confidence as a coaching staff to throw him out there and see what’s going to happen.”
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- Karl-Anthony Towns wants to be an All-Star but he’d like to play for the World team under the new format in the annual event, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reports. Towns was born and raised in the United States but has represented his mother’s native country, Dominican Republic, in international competitions, including the 2023 World Cup.
- Mikal Bridges and Brown have had some long discussions and the forward feels a bond with his coach, Bondy writes. “I think we had some meetings and talked to each other and stuff. I think honestly right now is probably the most I’ve been close with Mike. I think right now, honestly, to this day,” Bridges said. “Just have some good conversations, talk to each other. And just picking his brain, hear what he’s thinking and me voicing some things. Kind of get that clarity from your coach. Because you never know what’s going on — playing hard and just talking to him, what he’s thinking about our team and stuff. I think we had a pretty good talk before Christmas, and I think our relationship is just — it was always fine. But I think it’s definitely going up.” Bridges signed a four-year, $150MM extension in August.
- Mitchell Robinson will miss his second straight game on Wednesday against San Antonio due to left ankle injury management, Edwards tweets. Robinson hasn’t suffered a setback but the team is being cautious due to a heavy schedule recently. Josh Hart (right ankle sprain) and Landry Shamet (right shoulder sprain) remain out as well.
The Knicks Players Who Benefited Most From NBA Cup Prize Money
The Knicks‘ team salary this season is nearly $208MM, which is the second-highest figure in the NBA, behind only the Cavaliers ($228MM+). However, five of the 14 players on New York’s standard roster are on minimum-salary contracts, while a sixth is earning just slightly above the minimum.
So while the $530,933 bonus for winning the NBA Cup may be a drop in the bucket for the highest-paid players on the Knicks’ roster, like Karl-Anthony Towns ($53.1MM), OG Anunoby ($39.6MM), and Jalen Brunson ($34.9MM), it represents a significant pay raise for the players on the lower half of the Knicks’ cap sheet, as well as the players on two-way contracts who will receive bonuses worth $265,467 apiece (50% of the full prize share).
[RELATED: Details On NBA Cup Prize Money For 2025]
The NBA Cup prize money results in at least a 14% raise for each of the following Knicks players, whose 2025/26 base salaries are noted in parentheses:
Players receiving a $530,933 bonus:
Jordan Clarkson ($3,634,153)- Landry Shamet ($3,080,921)
- Pacome Dadiet ($2,847,600)
- Tyler Kolek ($2,191,897)
- Ariel Hukporti ($1,955,377)
- Mohamed Diawara ($1,272,870)
Players receiving a $265,467 bonus:
- Tosan Evbuomwan ($636,435)
- Trey Jemison ($636,435)
- Kevin McCullar Jr. ($636,435)
The bonuses for Diawara and the Knicks’ two-way players represent a raise of more than 40% on their respective base salaries.
None of this prize money will count against the salary cap, so the Knicks’ team salary for cap, tax, and apron purposes remains unchanged, as do the team salaries for San Antonio and the other six clubs who made the knockout round of the NBA Cup. Their prize money is as follows:
- Spurs: $212,373 per player ($106,187 for two-way players)
- Magic and Thunder: $106,187 per player ($53,094 for two-ways)
- Heat, Raptors, Lakers, and Suns: $53,093 per player ($26,547 for two-ways)