Frank Ntilikina, Strasbourg
Position: Point Guard
Age: 18 (7/28/1998)
Height & Weight: 6’5″ & 170 pounds
2016-17 Slash Line: .496/.435/.583
2016-17 Season Averages: 10.5 PTS/36, 4.1 REB/36, 2.6 AST/36, 1.3 STL/36, 1.4 3PM/36
The New York Knicks have a well-documented interest in international phenom Frank Ntilikina. The Belgian-born point guard has emerged as one of the most promising young players on the European basketball scene.
General manager Steve Mills recent traveled to France to scout Ntilikina in person, and that’s a fair reflection of how serious New York’s interest is.
For those unfamiliar, Ntilikina is a 6’5″ point guard who has been on the NBA Draft radar for more than two years. In 2016, he led France to the gold medal at the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, and was awarded the Rising Star Award in France’s LNB Pro A.
For perspective: previous winners of the Rising Star Award include current NBA players Nicolas Batum, Clint Capela, Boris Diaw, Evan Fournier, and Tony Parker.
That’s far from a guarantee that Ntilikina will become a star at the next level, but the odds are in his favor. He has elite size for a point guard, as well as intriguing court vision and an outside stroke that could translate to the NBA.
If the Knicks manage to draft Ntilikina, then Jeff Hornacek would have the perfect point guard for the triangle offense.
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