Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Embiid, Grimes, Ingram, CMB
The nine players the Knicks used in Thursday’s win over Boston will likely make up the team’s playoff rotation, head coach Mike Brown said after the game, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. That group includes starters Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Miles Bridges and Josh Hart, plus reserves Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, and Jordan Clarkson.
“Those guys are probably our top nine when you’re talking about the playoffs,” Brown said. “And it’s hard to play more than nine guys (in the playoffs).”
While it’s probably no shock that rookie forward Mohamed Diawara and second-year guard Tyler Kolek didn’t make the cut, it’s notable that veteran guard Jose Alvarado – whom New York gave up a couple second-round picks to acquire in February – isn’t among that top nine. The former Pelican has been a DNP-CD in each of the Knicks’ past two games, but he suggested on Thursday that he’s unfazed by his declining role.
“I’m good. I’m chilling. I’m ready for my moment. I’m ready for my name to get called, whenever it is,” Alvarado said, according to Bondy. “Like you said, I started off here high. That was the best way to start. So there’s only one way to go — down. We just stay there mentally. This is my home team. I love the organization, I love the Knicks. So just whenever it’s Jose’s time, whenever that time is, I’m ready.”
Here’s more from out of the Atlantic:
- Joel Embiid‘s emergency appendectomy changes everything for the Sixers, making the team’s path to a playoff spot more difficult and significantly reducing its odds of winning a series, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. The 76ers issued an update on Embiid on Friday, announcing that he’s returning to Philadelphia following a successful procedure in Houston, but no timeline has been set for his return to basketball activities (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports).
- Quentin Grimes will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after accepting his one-year qualifying offer as a RFA last offseason. The Sixers guard’s role has fluctuated throughout the season with teammates in and out of the lineup, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer, but Grimes recently described his performance in 2025/26 as “solid” and he believes he “maximized” his opportunities. “Be in attack mode. Be a good on-ball defender. Make plays for myself and teammates,” Grimes said last week. “The whole year has asked for me to do different things. But I feel like, when the whole team’s healthy, my natural self is still playing my same game I’ve been playing the whole year.”
- There was some uncertainty entering the fall about what the Raptors could expect from forward Brandon Ingram – who missed most of last season due to ankle injury – and lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles, who wasn’t viewed as an immediate difference-maker at the NBA level. But Toronto has gotten near best-case outcomes from both players, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who says Ingram’s All-Star play and Murray-Boyles’ rapid development have helped get Toronto on the verge of its first playoff appearance since 2022. The Raptors can clinch a playoff berth with a win over New York on Friday, but they’ll be missing Murray-Boyles (neck sprain) and point guard Immanuel Quickley (plantar fasciitis injury management), tweets Grange.
Rory Maher contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Anunoby, George, Tatum
Although Karl-Anthony Towns sat out their blowout win over the Bulls on Friday due a right elbow impingement, the Knicks are nearing full health as the playoffs approach and their postseason rotation is beginning to take shape, Ian Begley of SNY writes.
On Friday, with Mitchell Robinson starting, head coach Mike Brown experimented by using Jeremy Sochan as the backup center and was pleased with the results, naming him the team’s defensive player of the game.
“It allowed us to do a lot of things like switch pick and rolls,” Brown said of using Sochan as a small-ball five. “It brought a different element to our game. Not just offensively with the speed, but defensively with switching a lot of things and just keeping the ball in front of us.”
While Robinson will take the majority of reserve center minutes in the playoffs, having Sochan as an option could allow Brown to go to the Towns-Robinson frontcourt more than he might otherwise.
Another notable change was that neither Jose Alvarado nor breakout rookie Mohamed Diawara played in the first three quarters. With Miles McBride and Landry Shamet healthy, Brown indicated that getting them back up to speed is crucial.
“Deuce is getting healthier and Landry’s getting healthy and trying to find minutes for those guys — both of those guys are capable of playing that (backup guard) spot — is going to be a priority because they’ve proven themselves this year for us,” he said.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Brown was surprised to hear that wing OG Anunoby has only made an All-Defensive team once in his career, Begley writes in the same article. The Knicks‘ head coach believes the 6’8″ forward is clearly deserving of being recognized a second time this season. “His versatility is just off the charts and you can do a lot of things with your defense because of him,” Brown said. “In my opinion, he deserves First Team All-Defense this year — and hopefully the powers that be will see it that way, too.” Anunoby agreed with his coach’s assessment: “I think I should’ve gotten it last year. I think I should get it this year. That’s definitely a goal of mine, coming into the season, especially defensively, being on the first team or second team — hopefully first.”
- Paul George is listed as probable for the Sixers‘ game against the Pistons today due to left knee injury management. Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports notes (via Twitter) that if George is able to play, this will mark his first back-to-back of the season. Since coming off his 25-game suspension, the nine-time All-Star has been rounding into form, averaging 27.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.2 steals in his past five games.
- There were concerns within the Celtics organization, including players, about trying to rebuild in-game chemistry with Jayson Tatum so soon before the playoffs, but the star wing has quickly alleviated any such concerns, Jay King writes for The Athletic. Boston is 10-2 with Tatum active and he has already been been named Player of the Week. Most importantly, King writes, Tatum hasn’t looked hesitant or uncertain about his body. He is driving at around the same rate as last season, and the defense has been elite when he’s on the floor. King notes that if the Celtics were to win the championship this season, his return could go down in history as one of the league’s all-time comebacks.
Knicks Notes: Shamet, McBride, Robinson, Diawara
Knicks guard Landry Shamet, who has missed the past five games due to a bone bruise in his right knee, is no longer on the injury report and will return to action on Wednesday when the team visits Memphis, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
However, a couple other Knicks rotation players will be unavailable, as center Mitchell Robinson (left ankle injury management) and guard Miles McBride (pelvic/core muscle injury management) will sit out on the second end of a back-to-back set. Star guard Jalen Brunson is also considered questionable to play, having been added to the injury report due to right ankle soreness.
Although McBride appeared to reinjure himself on Sunday in his first game back from sports hernia surgery, he was back on the court on Tuesday and is only being held out on Wednesday because he’s not ready for back-to-backs yet. McBride explained on Tuesday that he was simply experiencing some discomfort in his first game back as a result of scar tissue breaking down, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
“Scar tissue is built up because it tightens everything. And now it’s getting more elastic, stretching out,” McBride said. “I came down (defending a Thunder player), tried to switch gears, and the scar tissue is ripping and getting better. … Surgery is going to cause pain. I’m not sure when it’s going to fully subside. So whatever I can do to help the team win.”
We have more on the Knicks:
- In a separate story for the New York Post, Bondy considers what Robinson’s value might be in unrestricted free agency this summer. The big man, who turns 28 today, has averaged just 19.5 minutes per game this season, but describes his impact as “incredible,” in part due to his rebounding — he’s pulling down 8.7 boards per night, including 4.2 on the offensive end.
- After Mohamed Diawara saw just four total minutes of action in losses to Oklahoma City and Houston, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News (subscription required) questions why the rookie forward isn’t playing a more prominent role in the Knicks’ rotation, arguing that the team could use his versatility, floor spacing, and energy.
- Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports evaluates where the Knicks are at with the postseason around the corner and cites a few red flags, including the team’s inconsistent play against high-end competition, its defensive holes when Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns share the court, and the fact that Towns is still talking about “working through” his fit in Mike Brown‘s offense with just a couple weeks left in the regular season.
Knicks Notes: Hart, Bridges, McBride, Diawara, Clarkson
With Jalen Brunson (right ankle injury management / neck strain) inactive on Tuesday, Knicks forward Josh Hart stepped up to carry some of the offensive load, pouring in 33 points against the Pacers while making 12-of-13 shots from the floor, including all five of his three-point attempts.
As Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes, Hart had been slumping lately and there had been some calls to remove him from the starting five, but Tuesday’s performance showed why head coach Mike Brown wants to keep him in his current role. While the 33 points were the most he has scored in any game as a Knick, he also contributed seven rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals.
“I think the main thing…is him connecting the group. I’m not saying he is Andre Iguodala or his game is like Andre Iguodala’s, but there are a lot of similarities where you watch him…he’s really good in a lot of different areas,” Brown said on Tuesday. “But more importantly, he connects the group and having a guy like that, especially to start games, is huge.
“… He’s been fantastic giving us that energy, giving us the connectivity we needed with that starting group and then doing the little things. Offensive glass, pushing the pace, getting off in transition. He’s a switchable guy, he’s a physical guy and (he does) a lot of things that don’t necessarily show up in the stat sheet that … help with connectivity as well.”
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Hart had made just 10-of-38 three-pointers (26.3%) since the All-Star break. His 5-of-5 outing in a win over Indiana represents a positive step toward reversing that trend.
“I think I’m kind of in my head with a lot of stuff,” Hart said of his post-All-Star shooting. “So I just got to trust my work and go out there and shoot my shots.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Brown still hasn’t ruled out tweaking his starting lineup, notes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. If Brown does decide to make a change, Mikal Bridges should be the one moving to the second unit, according to Edwards, who argues that the optics of benching a player after giving up five first-round picks to acquire him shouldn’t matter if the move makes the team better.
- The Knicks announced on Tuesday that Miles McBride is “progressing well” in his recovery from sports hernia surgery, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. McBride has advanced to taking contact on the court, though Brown was reluctant to set any sort of specific target date for the guard’s return. “I try not to hear (the updates on McBride’s recovery), because does that mean he’ll be back in two weeks, three weeks, a week, 10 days? I don’t know,” Brown said. “Deuce was playing well for us when this happened. It’s part of the season, so keep fingers crossed, allow our medical crew who has done a fantastic job, and when he comes back we’ll all be excited.”
- Rookie forward Mohamed Diawara played just six minutes on Tuesday, his lowest single-game total in nearly a month, with Jordan Clarkson taking his spot in the rotation. After the game, Brown told reporters that he likes what he’s seen from Clarkson on offense lately and praised the veteran guard for staying ready amid a handful of DNP-CDs in recent weeks. “We’ll continue to see what happens going forward,” Brown said, per Begley. “We’ve all had the pleasure of being able to see Mo at a young age contribute a lot. He just has to keep himself ready like Jordan did. Go out there when your number’s called, don’t do too much but do what you can do and perform at the highest level in terms of your work ethic, focus and attention to detail and just go from there.”
- In another story for The New York Post, Bondy examines what the Knicks’ playoff rotation might look like, identifying the reserves who are locks to play regular roles and those who might only be used in certain situations or matchups.
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.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- 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.
There’s more from New York:
- 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.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- 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.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- 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.