New York Knicks: What kind of player can Frank Ntilikina become?

New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale went in-depth on Frank Ntilikina at Thursday’s press conference. What will the second-year pro become?

Frank Ntilikina joined the New York Knicks in 2017 as a physically-intriguing prospect. At 6-foot-5 with a 7-foot wingspan, he brought the necessary size and athleticism to handle either guard spot and showcase promising defensive skills.

Like plenty of physical prospects, Ntilikina entered the NBA as a raw player offensively, due to an inconsistent outside shot. That proved to be the case in his rookie campaign at a 41.4 effective field goal percentage and 31.8 percent from behind the arc.

As a top 10 pick, expectations were high for Ntilikina to grow at both ends of the floor, and at just 20 years old, more than enough room to grow exists. For now, though, he has the perception of a strong defender with playmaking ability.

What will the Frenchman become, though? If it’s up to head coach David Fizdale, it will be a “different approach.”

“I wanted to let Frank be who he’s going to be,” said Fizdale at Thursday’s preseason press conference. “So I’m just trying to help develop the skill sets that he’s going to need to become an everyday player.”

Fizdale noted potential development from Ntilikina in breaking players down off the dribble and the ability to shoot three-pointers, with the aforementioned knowledge already of the ability to defend.

This press conference stressed player development from Fizdale, general manager Scott Perry and president Steve Mills, as the Knicks take a patient approach toward their rebuild and allow the youth they drafted to grow. That’s beneficial for a player like Ntilikina, along with the head coach’s comments, to not take a head-first approach to reach his potential, whatever it may be.

It’s fair to assume Ntilikina’s offensive skills will grow, whether it already happened in the offseason, transpires in-season or some time down the line. This could be an incremental increase in shot percentage that forces defenses to pay attention, rather than leaving him alone, which seems likelier than a massive year-over-year jump, given what was displayed in 2017-18.

Aside from that, Ntilikina’s grew 1-1.5 inches over the past year. In the point guard role, potentially as the smallest player in the lineup, he can create offensive mismatches that open opportunities to better scan the court and shoot over smaller defenders.

While Fizdale wants to see that, he also does plan to force Ntilikina into a “super guard” development. The continuous eye on player development takes center stage on this, to see what direction his game goes. Will it be more offensively sound or something similar to Iman Shumpert, a fellow guard who joined the Knicks with physical skills but stuck as a very good perimeter defender?

For now, it starts with Ntilikina’s impression as the potential starter at point guard. He will battle with Trey Burke and Emmanuel Mudiay—both in make-or-break situations for their Knicks and maybe NBA careers—in training camp.

It might be early to call this Ntilikina’s time to shine, but before an offseason that can change the New York Knicks for the next four or five years unfolds, he may need to show enough improvement through an 82-game season to place more faith in his future standing.