00:00Mohamed D'Iwara wasn't supposed to matter this soon.
00:03He wasn't supposed to be part of the playoff conversation, and yet, he just might be forcing
00:09his way into it.
00:10Because every time he steps on the floor, something changes.
00:18Mohamed D'Iwara, the 51st overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, came into this season
00:24as a developmental rookie.
00:25But with the playoffs approaching, the question isn't whether or not he has a future, it's
00:31whether or not he deserves a more expanded role right now.
00:34To help break it all down, I spoke with Knicks Film School's Jeff Johnson.
00:38So Jeff, when you watch Mohamed D'Iwara this season, what has stood out to you the most
00:43about his impact, especially in the limited opportunities that we've seen him get?
00:48What has jumped out to you the most about what you've seen from D'Iwara on the court?
00:52If you want me to talk about one thing that jumps off the screen, it is his vision.
00:57I see D'Iwara doing this on a nightly basis.
01:00He has passes decks that make you jump out of your seat, where this is the type of things
01:06that you execute in year four, in year five, after you have some experience under your belt.
01:12And he's able to see the court and execute these plays.
01:16He seems like the type of player who's a high IQ player, who knows every player's position
01:23on the court, what they should be doing on offense.
01:25We've seen where he'll be running the offense at points and getting people into their position,
01:30making those quick decisions.
01:32And his level of improvisation as a rookie is something to be excited about.
01:37D'Iwara's value starts on defense, his length, his mobility, and his versatility.
01:44At 6'9", with a 7'4'' wingspan and a 9'2'' standing reach, D'Iwara gives the Knicks something
01:52every playoff team needs, a defender who can guard multiple positions.
01:56In limited minutes, the rookie forward has already shown his impact on defense this season,
02:01with maybe his most impressive performance coming in February when he slowed down Boston Celtics
02:06star, Jalen Brown.
02:07Do you think it's realistic to think that D'Iwara could earn real rotation minutes in the postseason?
02:14What do you say, Jeff?
02:16I not only think it's realistic, I think it might be necessary.
02:20So the emergence of D'Iwara has helped the Knicks to increase their depth on the bench
02:26with confident and competent role players.
02:30It's not so much, depth isn't so much that you have players that you can play.
02:35In the playoffs, it's players that you can trust to execute.
02:38And D'Iwara is slowly developing that experience in high-pressure situations, in different scenarios.
02:47And when D'Iwara plays, the Knicks have shown flashes of why he could matter.
02:52He doesn't need the ball.
02:54He doesn't disrupt the offense.
02:56He fits into it.
02:58Offensively, his role is simple.
03:00Space the floor, attack closeouts, finish plays.
03:05Now, the overall counting numbers and minutes, they aren't eye-popping.
03:09But D'Iwara has been shooting the ball confidently, especially from three-point range.
03:14I asked D'Iwara where his confidence level is right now in his first NBA season.
03:19The confidence is definitely high.
03:21Like I said, the teammate, the coaching staff, everybody make me comfortable on this team.
03:25And everybody trying to make me better.
03:27So I think if the team want you to be like this, the confidence can only be high and not
03:33low.
03:34And that confidence is showing up in his play.
03:37When D'Iwara is shooting this well and impacting the game defensively, he looks like a player who belongs.
03:44If he is part of this playoff rotation, we see him playing meaningful playoff minutes this spring.
03:50What does this mean for this Knicks team?
03:52Not only this season and this upcoming postseason, but what does it mean for this Knicks team and their ceiling
03:58and his ceiling going forward?
04:00Well, I think for this season, he's going to get vital experience.
04:04I've compared him to a role-playing game character who has all of these abilities, but they have yet to
04:09be unlocked.
04:09Because he has to farm experience and get these experience points so that he's able to choose the attributes he
04:16wants and unlock them.
04:17We see it every game with him progressing, whether it's his shot, whether it's his playmaking, his defensive ability.
04:23He has these skills that he's refining right before our eyes.
04:28Going forward, this gives the Knicks a level of optionality that you didn't think that they were going to have,
04:34given the fact that they're close to the second apron and in this new second apron world,
04:39you're going to have to literally make business decisions about your rosters because you can't pay everybody 30, 40 plus
04:46million.
04:47Because playoff rotations aren't about potential.
04:50They're about trust.
04:51Trust defensively, trust positionally, trust mentally.
04:55And slowly but surely, Diawara is earning it.
04:58I don't want to have a ceiling.
05:00I want to go higher than I can and just keep going.
05:04I think I have many good games and I just got to keep going.
05:08And yeah, I don't want no ceiling.
05:10I just want to be the greatest.
05:13The question isn't the future.
05:15It's whether the future is now.
05:17So if Muhammad Diawara continues to defend, continues to compete, and continues to play within himself,
05:24well, then the future is bright for him and the Knicks,
05:28especially with the Knicks having a 6'9 forward with the skill set that he has in today's NBA.
05:34And for the Knickerbockers, the future is right now.
05:37And it's a future that involves this team trying to win a championship this season.
05:42And right now, Muhammad Diawara just might force his way into the Knicks playoff rotation.
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