2018 NBA Mock Draft: A full first round following National Championship Game

Age: 19 (7/12/1998)
Height, Weight, Wingspan: 6’6″, 180 pounds, 7’0″
Slash Line: .485/.404/.817
Season Averages: 33.7 MPG, 14.4 PPG, 5.1 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 0.6 3PM

There’s a growing possibility that Frank Ntilikina will be better off at the shooting guard position. It’d be an unexpected development, but Ntilikina has been at his best when he can blend on-ball responsibility with the off-ball freedom to roam.

Instead of turning Ntilikina into a full-time 2, the New York Knicks should build a system that incorporates another gigantic combo guard with limitless potential: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

With Gilgeous-Alexander and Ntilikina, the Knicks would have two guards who boast 7’0″ wingspans. That creates remarkable defensive potential, as both have the physical tools to pick up assignments at every position from 1 to 3—and, in Ntilikina’s proven case, the 4.

Both Gilgeous-Alexander and Ntilikina are in desperate need of increased muscle mass, but their length and the presence of Kristaps Porzingis could enable the Knicks to build an elite defense.

Offensively, Gilgeous-Alexander is a capable shooter who can drive the lane and either finish in the paint or make an accurate pass to the open man along the perimeter. With Ntilikina, he’d form a backcourt in which both starters could create for themselves and others—a proven formula.

You can complain that the Knicks already have point guard talent, but building a backcourt like this would give it a unique advantage in the modern NBA.