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Grading New York Knicks' 2025 NBA Draft
Grading New York Knicks' 2025 NBA Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It has been an interesting offseason thus far for the New York Knicks after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000 last season.
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Of course, the Knicks started off their summer by firing head coach Tom Thibodeau and they are the only team still looking for a new head coach for next season.
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.© Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
While the Knicks continue their coaching search, they entered the 2025 NBA Draft looking to add another young player to their roster though they only held one pick in the draft.
New York held the 50th pick in the 2025 draft but they sent that to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the 51st pick and cash considerations.
With the 51st selection, the Knicks drafted French forward Mohamed Diawara to upgrade their frontcourt depth.
This selection was a surprising one by New York as many believed that Diawara would likely be an undrafted free agent as he had not quite converted his game to the LNB Elite league in France.
Knicks' 2025 NBA Draft Grade: D
Because of this, the Knicks earned a D grade for their 2025 draft as they reached on Diawara, though he does have the physical tools to eventually develop into a solid NBA player in New York.
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Last season in the LNB Elite league in France, the 20-year-old forward averaged 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 38.3% from the field and 31.0% from three-point range.
This was an improvement from his prior seasons in France and if the Knicks can continue to help him develop, he could become a solid role player for them off the bench.
Diawara is a solid scorer, though he does need to improve on his shooting percentages and his 6-8 frame should help him on the defensive side of the ball.
While it may have been a reach for the Knicks, they hope that Diawara can continue his development and become a key piece to their roster in the future.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
