The New York Knicks will be bringing back the same starting five that won the NBA title last season. However, they’ll likely need some other players to step up if they hope to repeat as NBA champs.
One particular young Knicks player has been named as a breakout candidate for the team heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
Mohamed Diawara Named Breakout Candidate for New York Knicks
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently named one breakout candidate for every team in the league, and for the Knicks the pick was second-year forward Mohamed Diawara, who was selected in the second round (51st overall) of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers and immediately traded to New York.
“Regular season fatigue is bound to set in at some point for the defending champion New York Knicks. When it does, the franchise will need players like Mohamed Diawara to help provide a spark,” Swartz wrote.
“The 6’9” forward has strong defensive skills that will be called on even more while sharing the second unit with Andre Drummond instead of Mitchell Robinson. Diawara also connected on 57.6 percent of his corner three-pointers last season, proving to be a reliable kick-out option for Jalen Brunson and others. . . . Diawara’s offensive role could slowly expand over time, although most of his impact and breakout will come on the defensive end this season.”
Diawara appeared in 69 regular season games for the Knicks last season and averaged 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per performance. Those numbers will likely increase along with his role in the coming campaign, which is why Swartz pegged him as a breakout candidate for New York.
Pressure on Mohamed Diawara Heading into 2026-27 Season
With his role likely to expand, Diawara will enter the season facing some serious pressure, which EJ Stewart of WFAN in New York recently broke down.
“I don’t think this is going to be a year where he’s not part of the playoff rotation,” Steward said. “. . . I think they’re going to need someone else to be a factor there, and Mo Diawara with his length, with his athleticism, with his quickness, he’s absolutely the kind of player that would be needed in that role for those kind of games, which means there’s going to be a ton of pressure on this young man.”
The opportunity should be there for Diawara in the coming season. We’ll see if he can take advantage of it.
Former Second-Round Pick Named Breakout Candidate for New York Knicks