The Knicks may need these 3 young players sooner than expected

The Knicks are fine for now, but eventually internal development will need to kick in for the franchise to continue on its winning trajectory.

With big money tied to its core veteran players, the best way for New York to keep rolling is with the help of young players beginning to show regular flashes of NBA potential. After the Knicks went deep into June during their championship run last year, they may need to lean on youngsters earlier in the season to, at the very least, learn what they have at home.

New York has three players on the roster who have less than three years of NBA experience — Tyler Kolek (25), Pacôme Dadiet (21) and Mohamed Diawara (21). The Knicks also added two second-round players in this year’s NBA draft, though their futures with the franchise for this season are more unstable. New York draft pick Jack Kayil, a guard from Germany, is going back to Europe, per a recent overseas report. Tyler Nickel, a swingman from Vanderbilt, is part of the 2022 class that a federal court determined can return to school for a fifth year of eligibility. August 5 was the deadline for teams to issue a required tender for unsigned second-round rookies. The Knicks did that for both Kayil and Nickel, meaning they own their NBA rights, even as the former returns overseas and the latter, per league sources, weighs the option to return to college. If Nickel elects to return to college, it is expected that his NIL money would exceed the two-way contract salary with New York.

In short: It’s very possible the Knicks don’t add a new draftee to its roster this season.

So, for this exercise, we’re going to rank the three youthful Knicks on standard contracts from most likely to contribute to least likely to contribute next season — barring injuries to those players ahead of them in the depth chart.

1. Mohamed Diawara

This one is a no-brainer.

Despite a few poor summer league performances and a finger injury, Diawara showed flashes last season as a rookie when playing alongside legitimate NBA talent. Head coach Mike Brown made the former second-round pick a regular rotation fixture for nearly two months during his rookie season.

Diawara, a 6-foot-9 wing, impressed with his ability to knock down open 3s, make good reads with the ball in his hands and showed moments as a solid on-ball defender. The runway for big minutes won’t be there because he’s behind OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges on the depth chart, but Brown can find minutes for a wing of Diawara’s size and skill semi-regularly.

Summer league didn’t go well for Diawara, but he won’t be expected to be the primary initiator or focus when he’s playing with the big-boy club. As long as he continues to take advantage of the opportunities on both ends that come with being part of such a talented roster, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s a staple in the rotation as soon as halfway through next season.

2. Tyler Kolek

Kolek is an interesting case study because he has NBA skills — primarily as an offensive table setter and passer — but the Knicks haven’t fully trusted him with a significant role since his arrival.

The team added backup point guard Jose Alvarado at last year’s trade deadline, signaling that it didn’t feel Kolek was ready to contribute to a championship push. With that said, Kolek has some fans around the NBA. Representatives from a few teams have asked me why Kolek doesn’t play more. His 3-point shooting and defense improved in his second season. However, Kolek has built-in limitations on that end of the floor because he’s barely above 6-foot and isn’t the most athletic.

Alvarado, who signed a new contract to return last month, will continue to get first crack at backing up Jalen Brunson. And the team still has Miles McBride, who it uses at times in that role. Kolek, though, could get opportunities throughout the season if Alvarado is having a rough patch and/or the offense shows some of the stagnancy that was present for stretches during the regular season.

I’d keep an eye on Kolek as a trade candidate, too, if the Knicks feel the need to upgrade the roster. I can’t see them moving any of the big-money players. I also can’t see them moving Diawara soon, and I don’t know any team knocking on New York’s door for Dadiet without New York attaching meaningful draft capital. A package of McBride, who is playing on the final year of his deal at $3.9 million, and Kolek would allow the Knicks to get a player who makes slightly more than $6 million.

Kolek, though, has NBA skills and it would be worth it for New York to explore that a little bit more than it has in the past.

3. Pacôme Dadiet

Behind the scenes, there are some in the Knicks organization who believe Dadiet, a 6-foot-7 wing, will turn a corner. Development doesn’t just happen in one game. Teams have other ways of evaluating if a player is progressing in a way that they believe is par for the course. Apparently, to some, Dadiet is showing signs of promise when the lights are off.

Yet, Dadiet will eventually have to show something when the lights are on.

Dadiet hasn’t shot the 3 well in the NBA, G League or even summer league. His shot isn’t broken, but it just hasn’t translated to game success. He’s not currently someone who makes plays with the ball in his hands, either. However, Dadiet showed some progress as an off-ball mover, particularly as a cutter, this past summer league. It was a promising development for a young player who is behind two excellent cutters in Anunoby and Bridges on the depth chart. Dadiet said that watching those two has shown him how he can make an impact in Brown’s system.

Other than in garbage time, I’m not sure where the minutes are for Dadiet this season unless the Knicks prioritize finding out if he’s worth keeping around in the future, which they very well could.

Building off of the cutting from summer league and hustle plays, which Dadiet does well, appears to be his best path to minutes right now.