OG Anunoby’s claw is still missing, but he will return to the starting lineup.
Jeremy Sochan has arrived and, according to coach Mike Brown, “he’s going to get a chance.”
So who is the odd man out?
Sounds like rookie Mohamed Diawara.
“I’m going to play young guys, and I’ve played young guys in front of vets,” the Knicks coach said. “But I’ll give Jeremy a chance.”
Diawara, 20, has been a pleasant surprise this season while filling in for injured teammates, flashing two opportunities with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and averaging 20 minutes in the past five games.
He is shooting 41.3 percent on 3s and is coming off a solid game in the win over the 76ers, the last game before the Knicks sign Sochan, a 6-foot-8 defensive specialist who plays the same power forward position as Diawara.
Brown explained that Sochan, who is only 22 years old but in his fourth NBA season, gets the edge because of his experience and since there are only two months to determine his postseason value.
Both Diawara and Sochan are free agents this summer.
“[Sochan] you know the league. The league knows him. He knows the officials and vice versa. So he’s going to get a chance,” Brown said. “But at the end of the day, I’m going to play what I think is the best for us. Jeremy is currently a teenager. He has not played with us. So I have to quickly see what we have in him before going to the play-offs.”
Still, there are no guarantees of a major interim role even for Sochan.
With Anunoby back from a four-game layoff in Thursday’s big game against the Pistons, the Knicks are healthy in the frontcourt.
That means Sochan’s minutes will be squeezed between those of Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.
Brown will put together the puzzle with an eye to installing a newcomer on the court.
“I’m not sure how many minutes I’m going to play him, but I plan to try to use him,” Brown said. “And hopefully we’ll get to the point where he can do a lot of things to play one to five games for us.”
Brown’s talks with Sochan helped push Power to sign with the Knicks despite other suitors.
“When you look at Jeremy, you like his size right off the bat,” the coach said. “Especially a power forward. OG is that size. But nobody else is that size. And you look at the versatility, over the years he’s been able to guard. [every position]. So to have that flexibility at that end of the floor – it’s huge. Especially when the OG is out. We’re very young if a guy like OG or Josh is both out. Then [Sochan’s] his strength, his body – all those things that don’t appear on the stat sheet, in my opinion – can be accepted by any team, and we were lucky to have him. “
The Browns had already moved guard Tyler Kolek, a 2024 second-round pick, out of the rotation to deal with the arrival of Jose Alvarado.
Sochan’s role appeared uncertain after he was sidelined in San Antonio amid shooting struggles and the emergence of his replacement, rookie Carter Bryant.
In New York, Sochan will get a chance to win a role at back and the rookie will step down.
“We have talked a lot and to use any opportunity I get,” said Sochan. “And I think one of the reasons I took New York is that it’s a really deep roster, a lot of really talented players. I think it’s a great opportunity to watch and grow from that. I think I’m still young, too. So to be around players who are established and have done a lot in this league is a crazy opportunity for me. … I believe in myself and I believe I can do it. And what’s happening here, I think I can be a part of it.”
