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New York Knicks: 5 goals for Frank Ntilikina’s rookie season

By Yash Shrivastava

BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 22: Frank Ntilikina of the New York Knicks talks to the media after being selected eighth overall at the 2017 NBA Draft on June 22, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Pellegrino/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 22: Frank Ntilikina of the New York Knicks talks to the media after being selected eighth overall at the 2017 NBA Draft on June 22, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Pellegrino/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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France’s Frank Ntilikina participates in a Skills Challenge before an All Star Game basketball match of the French Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB) between a selection of the best international players from the Pro A league against a selection of the best French players, at the AccorHotels Arena, in Paris on December 29, 2016. / AFP / GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT (Photo credit should read GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty Images)
France’s Frank Ntilikina participates in a Skills Challenge before an All Star Game basketball match of the French Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB) between a selection of the best international players from the Pro A league against a selection of the best French players, at the AccorHotels Arena, in Paris on December 29, 2016. / AFP / GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT (Photo credit should read GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty Images) /

3. Be Patient With Results

Point guard is undoubtedly the hardest position to play in the NBA with the amount of established and incoming talent there is around the league. Being a point guard requires a player to run the offense, and set up teammates in scoring positions.

Many point guards won’t see big results from day one, and many of them will need a few years to feel comfortable in the league. Points, rebounds, and assists are three statistics many people judge players from, but with players like Frank Ntilikina, learning to play in the NBA is tough enough.

Ntilikina is considered a project by many scouts and experts, so seeing big numbers from the rookie is a long shot. His rookie year should be about polishing his game, learning how to play in the NBA, and developing an understanding of how to play with his teammates.

We’ve seen many players not have stellar rookie seasons, but use their struggles as a rook to improve in later years. Guards such as James Harden, Rajon Rondo, DeMar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler, Deron Williams, and Steve Nash didn’t blow anyone away in their rookie seasons.

After a few years in the NBA, however, they really established their place in the league. Ntilikina could do the same with the New York Knicks.

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