When the New York Knicks drafted French-born player Frank Ntilikina in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft, they expected him to be the future at the point guard position.
How has New York Knicks third-year player Frank Ntilikina looked so far in his professional career?
After two professional seasons, Ntilikina has averaged 5.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. In fact, he actually regressed from his rookie season. That is not what you want to see from a former first-round pick that has the future at the point guard position for the Knicks in his clutches. Due to his inadequacies, the Knicks elected to bring in Dennis Smith Jr. in a trade that also included the departure of Kristaps Porzingis.
However, Ntilikina has looked solid during the FIBA World Cup for France. Through two games, he has averaged 10 points, 2.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and two steals. He has helped France win both matches in the group stages, shooting 50% from the field and 66.7% from the three-point line. The statistics are extremely promising and could show progression for Frank moving forward.
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Several players on the French national team have praised the 21-year-old for his success thus far:
“Against Germany he had a big task with Andrew [Albicy] of guarding [Oklahoma City point guard] Dennis Schroder and he did a great job on him. And (against Jordan) he controlled the rhythm for us. He’s been great for us. He had two big shots to start the game and put pressure on defense, ran the team, shared the ball. That’s what we asked of him and he did good.â€
Despite the young point guards in efficiency in regards to scoring production, his defensive abilities are a lead and serve a purpose for the next in specific scenarios. The issue is, they cannot trust him to put points on the board which will limit his usage and playing time.
Hopefully, his performance against the state of Jordan will translate over into the NBA this upcoming season. He recorded 12 points, five assists, five rebounds, three steals, and a block while shooting 3-for-5 from the fields, and 2-for-4 from three-point land.
Reality could strike Ntilikina this season, though. If he does not show he can be productive on both ends of the court, the likeliness of the Knicks letting him go next season grow exponentially. Rumors of him being moved prior to the trade deadline were plastered all over the news, and it seems like he was on the move for a few days. The fact that they retained him showed that there is still optimism he can develop into a meaningful player, even if it is backing up Smith Jr.