Knicks Bring in ‘One of the Most Physical Centers’ in College for Workout
The New York Knicks have brought in one of the college games’ toughest centers for a workout as they weigh their potential options for the No. 50 pick in Thursday’s second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
According to Hoopshype’s pre-draft workout tracker, the Knicks worked out Auburn center Dylan Cardwell.
Cardwell was measured 6’9.25″ with 7’0.75″ at the G League Draft Combine.
“Cardwell was one of the most physical centers in college,” wrote Ersin Demir on his Substack newsletter called “Ersin’s NBA Draft Newsletter.”
But Ersin projects the 23-year-old big man to go undrafted and sign as an undrafted free agent by a contender.
“His archetype fits the need of every winning team to add to their depth chart. Cardwell’s excellent understanding of positioning and intangibles of good decision-making in pick-and-roll and closeout defense adds value to a defensive rating. Offensively, he can’t close games due to that low free-throw percentage. Regardless, the non-shooting character of his game is compensated by his great screening, aggressive play-finishing, and value as one of college basketball’s best offensive rebounders,” Demi wrote.
Cardwell averaged 5.0 points and a career-high 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 coming from the offensive glass, during his senior year at Auburn.
The Knicks have a clear need for a reserve center. They started last season with Karl-Anthony Towns at center with rookie Ariel Hukporti backing him up. But once Mitchell Robinson got healthy during their postseason run, the recently fired Tom Thibodeau experimented with a twin tower combo, playing Towns and Robinson together.
Robinson is entering the final year of his four-year, $60 million contract.
Two 6’9 Prospects on Knicks’ Radar
Aside from Cardwell, the Knicks have also brought in 20-year-old French forward Mohamed Diawara and 22-year-old wing Jonathan Pierre to their training facility in Westchester.
Diawara measured 6’9” in shoes with a 7’4” wingspan and 9’2” standing reach at the Adidas Euro Camp last year. He brings elite physical tools and defensive versatility, but his offensive skillset is still raw based on NBADraft.net’s scouting report.
Diawara won a gold medal with France in the Under-20 EuroBasket last year, averaging 7.0 points on 51.4% field goal shooting, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 19.3 minutes per game as a starter.
The scouting report added that that he has elite positional size and tools for a modern forward in the NBA. But it will take some time before he can contribute though he’s been playing professionally for three years in France.
“I feel like I’m a big guard,” Diawara told NBADraft.net. “I can the ball like a guard and, that’s what I think I’m way better right now.”
Diawara averaged 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in his first season with Cholet at LNB Elite, France’s pro league. But he only shot 38.3% from the field and 31% from the 3-point line.
Jonathan Pierre Hopes to Follow Ex-Knicks Wing’s Footsteps
On the other hand, Pierre has an NBA-ready body, measuring 6’9.25” with a 7’0.5” wingspan on a 215-pound frame at the G League Draft Combine.
The Belmont Bruins star is also a more polished player compared to Diawara.
Pierre was selected to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Conference First Team this past season after averaginfg 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists with 1.2 stocks (steals and blocks). He shot a solid 36.9% clip from the college 3-point line on six attempts per game.
Pierre hopes to become the third MVC All-Conference First Team to get into the NBA after former Knicks wing Landry Shamet and Houston Rockets starting point guard Fred VanVleet.
-1749803953-q80.webp "NBA Trade Report Surfaces After Celtics-Kings News")
