New York Knicks: The five most impressive players from Summer League

Frank Ntilikina

New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale is encouraging point guard Frank Ntilikina to play with a more aggressive mentality. It’s a request that many Knicks fans echoed in 2017-18, as Ntilikina’s lack of confidence prevented him from thriving offensively.

Ntilikina was admittedly limited to two games played at the 2018 Summer League in Las Vegas, but the signs of progress were clear as day.

Ntilikina’s defense was brilliant, which is becoming more of an expectation than a surprising development. It was on the offensive end of the floor that Ntilikina made the biggest of statements, however, as he showed clear signs of improvement.

That much can be seen in his averages of 11.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in just 28.5 minutes of action per game—numbers that still don’t tell the whole story.

Ntilikina put up 17 points and six assists against the Utah Jazz, and played lockdown defense against Trae Young during the win over the Atlanta Hawks. Furthermore, he was driving with aggression, and showcased a batch of skills that hadn’t been seen since he was in France.

With a tighter handle, a stronger frame, and a newfound confidence, Ntilikina looked like an entirely new player on the offensive end of the floor—and there’s still three months of offseason play to go.