Frank Ntilikina
The New York Knicks matched up against the team with the two best big men in the NBA. In turn, a significant focus became containing the perimeter players and preventing them from impacting the game in a strong enough manner to adequately support the stars.
Frank Ntilikina more than pulled his weight in that regard, stepping up on defense and helping to lead the charge on the offensive end of the floor
Ntilikina had his second consecutive solid offensive performance, posting eight points and four assists in 29 minutes of playing time. He shot 4-of-10 from the field, and added five rebounds and a steal to just one turnover.
With a positive plus-minus and a clear impact on the defensive end of the floor, Ntilikina completed his best month as an NBA player with another encouraging showing.
Ntilikina finished the month of December with averages of 7.5 points, 3.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.8 three-point field goals made per game. Those numbers translate to 11.1 points, 5.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.2 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes.
Ntilikina is beginning to find his range as a shooter, and that’s opening up the rest of his game and allowing him to play with a pace he hadn’t previously found in 2017-18.