New York Knicks: Who stepped up during 118-91 win over Sacramento Kings?

Frank Ntilikina

This was far from the most prolific game of Frank Ntilikina’s early NBA career, but he deserves a spot on this list. Most of Ntilikina’s production arrived in garbage time, but he continued to establish himself as a promising young facilitator and on-ball defender.

Ntilikina still has work to do before he earns the full-time starting role, but he’s turned the past six games into a proverbial proving ground.

Ntilikina finished the win over the Sacramento Kings with two points, five assists, two rebounds, and two steals in 23 minutes of action. He only attempted two field goals, but made a concerted effort to create penetration against the Kings—a step in the right direction.

Ntilikina has now recorded at least five assists in each of the past four games, as well as five of his past six appearances.

Over the course of the past six games, Ntilikina is averaging 6.7 assists in just 23.3 minutes per contest—numbers that translate to 10.3 assists per 36 minutes. More significant is the fact that, in less than a month, he’s become one of the most positively influential players on the roster.

Thus far, New York has net ratings of +6.2 when Ntilikina is on the court and -3.8 when he isn’t—a difference of 10.0 points per 100 possessions.