"Mohamed Diawara will play a pivotal role in the Knicks' rotation this season." That was a somewhat popular opinion heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

That opening statement could still end up coming true. We are eight games into the season, which is only approximately 9.75% of the way through the marathon that is the regular season. But so far, Diawara's minimal playing time and lack of visible growth has been one of the many talking points surrounding the surprisingly mediocre beginning to the Knicks' season.

On Wednesday night against the Bulls, though, it was the first time all season long Diawara showed glimpses of the wing fans fell in love with last season.

Mohamed Diawara took a promising step on Wednesday for Knicks

The second-year player, who played a season-high 21 minutes mainly due to Josh Hart's ankle injury, made two of his five shots, went 1-4 from three, and went 3-4 from the free throw line for a toal of eight points. And he added six rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. It was the kind of all-around performance Diawara routinely exhibited as a rookie.

What stood out, though, wasn't just the stats.

In the past, be it regular season games, Summer League, or in preseason, Diawara has had the tendency of being a bit too hesitant or trying to do too much. And that seems to be where he most commonly finds and gets himself into trouble.

New York needs him to be confident and aggressive, even if it's just in spurts. His increased ability to do so will open up drives and passes at a higher rate. But he also needs to stay in his lane. As good as Diawara could end up eventually being, he's just not good enough right now to take on too much. Especially on this team—a team filled to the brim with very skilled players.

In the Knicks' dominant win over the Bulls, Diawara toed the line perfectly. He remained confident and wasn't second guessing himself. Yet he did so without trying to do too much. And he did all of that while being active defensively. That's the kind of Diawara the Knicks loved last season and the kind the Knicks will need this season.

Without him, the Knicks are left somewhat undersized at the wing position. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges can't possibly play every second of every game, and while Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson have been great for the team this season, they just aren't that big.

That lack of size hasn't been the sole or even the biggest reason for any one of their losses. But Diawara's size, along with his defensive versatility, energy, connective passing, and shooting (if it can return) would add so much more to this already-good bench.

It's difficult to assess if his performance against the lowly Bulls was just a coincidence, a result of playing with such a big lead, or a step in the right direction. The Knicks hope it's the last one. Regardless of what it is though, it's something the team has to explore, since the upside of Diawara becoming a true rotation player is so high for this roster.