When the New York Knicks gained Dennis Smith Jr. in the Kristaps Porzingis trade with the Dallas Mavericks, second-year point guard Frank Ntilikina realized his privilege of constant chances was coming to an end.
The former first-round pick has been a bust since entering the league, averaging just 5.9 points per game after being a highly-touted prospect from France. Another gift from Phil Jackson — however, Ntilikina is a stellar defender, despite his offensive woes.
The Frenchman has struggled in the scoring department, not for lack of trying. Heaving up jump shots and three-pointers in practice haven’t translated to live-games, but he may have finally cracked the code.
Recently, Frank earned a bronze medal with the French National Team during the FIBA World Cup, completing besting All-Star PG Kemba Walker in their victory over team USA. Not only were his defensive qualities on display, but his offense was solid too.
La Coupe du Monde de Frank Ntilikina?
– 8,9 points
– 2,4 rebonds
– 2,6 passes
– 57,7% au shoot
– 36,4% à 3-points
– 19,6 minutes de moyenne pic.twitter.com/ZG0Sd3CSGL— Knicks France (@KnicksFrance) September 17, 2019
In a recent NY Post article, known scout Nick Hauselman reviewed the third-year point guard’s offensive development:
“The big thing was his willingness to shoot the basketball from distance, and his ability to hit floaters was 1B,†Hauselman told The Post. “That’s something he had been terrible at. Suddenly he’s nailing those. He wasn’t passing up shots. It looked like that was changing with FIBA — catching and shooting, shooting off the dribble, being much more decisive.â€
The Knicks will have to decide on Ntilikina, but they will give him one final opportunity to prove his worth on the court. He will count $6.19 million against the cap next year if the last season on his rookie deal is executed. I can’t imagine the Knicks forfeiting that much money on a player that can’t beat out Elfrid Payton for the backup point guard spot.
Can Frank Ntilikina finally provide value for the New York Knicks?
Aside from his defensive abilities, Ntilikina must show he can put points on the board this upcoming season. During FIBA play, he averaged eight points, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 turnovers — better numbers than his NBA totals. Some might argue that the differentiation in talent provides the difference, and that’s a fair argument to make. However, his performance against team USA shows he’s capable of more with the Knicks, and he needs to tap into that confidence.