New York Knicks: Jeff Hornacek addresses Frank Ntilikina’s shooting
New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina has come under fire for his poor shooting percentages. Head coach Jeff Hornacek jumped to his rookie’s defense.
The New York Knicks selected Frank Ntilikina at No. 8 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. The vision that Phil Jackson seemed to have was Ntilikina becoming the starting point guard in the triangle offense, where he’d blend on and off-ball duties with multifaceted responsibility on defense.
Jackson and the triangle offense may be out, but head coach Jeff Hornacek is beginning to utilize Ntilikina in the way he was intended to play.
Ntilikina made his first career start on Tuesday, Mar. 6, playing shooting guard against the Portland Trail Blazers. Unfortunately, Ntilikina’s poor shooting continued with a 2-of-7 performance that dropped his field goal percentage to .356.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, coach Hornacek defended Ntilikina and stated his belief that the French Prince will be a lethal shooter one day.
"“He’s 19-years-old in this NBA game,’’ Hornacek said. “I can look back, I’m not sure I shot well my first year. He does have the eye, he can shoot over guys. He’ll go back in the summer and continue working. He’s a kid who really wants to improve on and work on his game. He studies tape. He’ll get in better shape and get stronger. He’ll be a dynamite shooter one day.’’"
If anyone knows what it takes to undergo the transformation from a dreadful shooter into an all-time marksman, it’s Hornacek.
Hornacek shot 27.9 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie and 29.3 percent from distance during his second NBA season. He improved his efficiency in year three, but still shot a mere 33.3 percent from three-point range.
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Over the course of his final 11 seasons, however, Hornacek shot 41.2 percent from beyond the arc and earned a reputation as one of the best shooters in NBA history.
In order to improve in the manner he did, Hornacek altered his shooting form by taping his thumb to his shooting hand, thus becoming less reliant on the grip that actually hindered his ability to develop a fluid shooting motion.
More importantly: Hornacek worked tirelessly until he developed an elite skill.
There’s no guaranteeing that Ntilikina will experience the same success, but he has a coach who has first-hand knowledge of what he’s going through. In turn: He has a coach who has first-hand knowledge of what he can do to improve.
With that guidance and leadership, Ntilikina should be able to exploit the undeniable advantages he possesses with elite size and length for the two guard positions.
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The question is: Will New York Knicks fans remain patient enough to see Frank Ntilikina’s development through?