Knicks: 3 reasons Frank Ntilikina deserves playing time

2) How Frank Ntilikina can help the Knicks: Secondary Playmaking

I like to think of myself as a Frank moderate, but here I am certainly taking a “pro” stance. Even so, I’ll admit Frank does not have a lot of the skills that you’d hope to see in a modern lead ball-handler. As mentioned, he is not really a threat to pull-up and shoot off the dribble. He lacks either the willingness, the ability, or both to consistently break down his defender one-on-one and knife into the paint to look for his own shot or teammates. But, with this year’s personnel, that’s not what the Knicks need from him.

Instead, what they need is just someone who will be decisive — someone who will either shoot or move the ball without grinding the offense to a screeching halt. Too often, the Knicks will have an open look only for someone to pass it up for a worse play.

Too often, Randle draws a double team, kicks it out to a non-shooter like Payton (I don’t mean to keep picking on Payton here; he is just the easiest example to find) who hesitates to shoot, allowing the defense to get back into position, or worse, results in an eventual turnover.

We’ve seen time and again Frank show the ability to be a capable playmaker, especially as a secondary ball-handler:

Bottom line: Frank is a good passer. He’s not great, but he’s good. He’s unselfish and has a good feel for angles and finding guys at the right time. For a team that ranks 28th in Assist Percentage, having another guy on the floor who can drop the occasional dime has real value.

Part of what makes him a strong secondary ball-handler is his awareness for how to take advantage of defenses when they’re scrambling as he does here:

Speaking of scrambling defenses and transition…