New York Knicks: Frank Ntilikina receives praise in return to rotation

A difficult first three games for Frank Ntilikina was turned around Monday, when he contributed to the New York Knicks’ win.

“We want Frank” chants rang through the Madison Square Garden crowd Saturday, when Frank Ntilikina remained on the bench for all but a few seconds in the New York Knicks’ first home game of the regular season. It resulted in a 115-98 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Ntilikina only played a combined 3:12 in his two appearances, including a disastrous 2:54 stint on opening night, in which he turned the ball over twice and picked up a foul.

On Monday, without Dennis Smith Jr. due to the death of his stepmother, coach David Fizdale made the Frenchman Elfrid Payton‘s backup. Despite defeating the Chicago Bulls for the team’s first win, Ntilikina’s stat line did not stand out: zero points on 0 of 6 shooting, two rebounds, two assists and three turnovers. Yet, Fizdale had nothing but praise for him afterward, per Howie Kussoy of the New York Post:

"“It didn’t matter,” Fizdale said. “His minutes were fantastic. He guarded, he set the tone defensively, he made some nice plays to set some people up, he got us organized. The shots will fall for him, but the thing I’m proud of is how he kept himself ready, like I knew he would."

Ntilikina’s calling card was always defense, with the need for his shot to factor into his game; that did not come around against the Bulls, but Fizdale seemed happy enough with his young guard’s performance.