New York Knicks: Off-ball role helping Frank Ntilikina find his game
New York Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina has transitioned to more of an off-ball role. The benefits of the change have been profound.
When the New York Knicks selected Frank Ntilikina at No. 8 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, the biggest question was his true position. Ntilikina was drafted as a triangle point guard, which meant he was projected by the front office as more of a hybrid than a true lead.
After struggling to make the immediate transition to more of a traditional point guard role, Ntilikina has benefited greatly from Jeff Hornacek‘s ingenuity.
When New York called up point guard Trey Burke from its G League affiliate in Westchester, Ntilikina began to receive minutes in an off-ball capacity. When the Knicks acquired point guard Emmanuel Mudiay on the day of the 2018 trade deadline, that role was solidified.
Rather than attempting to play Ntilikina at a position that he isn’t yet comfortable with, Hornacek has allowed the rookie to develop his individual game in an off-ball capacity.
Playing off-ball is allowing Ntilikina to focus less on creating for his teammates and more on finding his identity as a player. Whether he’s a point guard or a shooting guard, Hornacek turning back the clock to his Phoenix Suns days has worked wonders for the rookie.
While still raw, the mere threat of Ntilikina being able to get his shot has made it significantly easier for him to both score and facilitate.
Slowly but surely, it’s all beginning to come together for The French Prince.
Ntilikina must overcome an admittedly extreme measure of inconsistency, but he’s scored at least 10 points in three of his past seven appearances. That doesn’t include the eight points and five assists he picked up during the blowout win over the Chicago Bulls.
It also doesn’t include the six assists he distributed in just over 16 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks, nor the lockdown defense he’s played throughout the season.
While those numbers may not blow you away, they’re signs of improvement from a player who’s gradually learning how to play the NBA game. He’s been far less reluctant to pursue his shots and far more willing to drive the lane.
When all else fails, Ntilikina has utilized his elite instincts on the defensive end of the floor to provide a powerful impact that goes beyond the box score.
Thankfully, his offensive game is no longer lagging far behind.
Over the past four games, it’s all started to come together for the French phenom. He scored at least eight points in three of those four outings, including a career-high 15 points in just 21 minutes during a win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Ntilikina also scored 13 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves—a game during which he played a career-high 37 minutes and thrived on defense.
Consistency is another conversation entirely, but it has to start somewhere for a young player. For Ntilikina, he’s been given a new role, which has thus enabled him to focus entirely on developing his game instead of having to balance his development with that of the team.
Not only is Ntilikina becoming a better individual player because of this opportunity, but he’s helping the Knicks improve as a collective unit.
Over the course of the past 15 games, the Knicks have accumulated a net rating of -4.3 in 360 minutes with Ntilikina on the court. That may be in the negatives, but it’s far better than the level at which the team has played without him.
In a fittingly identical 360 minutes with Ntilikina on the bench, the Knicks have been outscored by 13.4 points per 100 possessions.
When a team is 9.1 points per 100 possessions better with a player on the floor, it’s safe to say they’re doing something right. That’s the case for Ntilikina, who’s beginning to develop into a legitimate two-way player.
If this trend continues, then Ntilikina could position himself to become a full-time starter as soon as the beginning of the 2018-19 campaign.
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There’s still work to be done, but Frank Ntilikina is utilizing this off-ball opportunity to show flashes of the potential the New York Knicks saw him.