Knicks: 3 reasons Frank Ntilikina deserves playing time

Tom Thibodeau has some difficult rotation decisions coming up. Here’s why Frank Ntilikina deserves an opportunity to earn his spot.

You either eagerly clicked this article thrilled to read about young New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina’s ability to positively impact the game, or you furiously hate-clicked so you could properly ridicule this whole premise. I don’t blame you either way.

Obviously, Frank is one of the more polarizing Knicks prospects in recent memory. Most people look at his per-game statistics; they use the impenetrable eye-test to look at his all-too-often tentative style of play, and think, “The Knicks whiffed on another lottery pick.”

Meanwhile, people who fancy themselves basketball purists (OK, we can call them snobs) point to arcane analytics and the difficult-to-measure phenomenon of “defense” to prove that Frank is inarguably a winning player.

I’m not here to pick sides. I’m not here to argue. I’m certainly not telling you that giving Frank playing time will be a panacea to rid the Knicks of their many blights. I’m just here to convince you that, if he is healthy, the Knicks could use his skill set and he deserves a chance to earn a rotation spot.

Don’t shoot the messenger. Speaking of shooting, let’s start there.

1) How Frank Ntilikina can help the Knicks: Shooting

I’m sure I just lost some of you. How can a career 31.6% three-point shooter actually improve a team’s overall shooting? Well, first of all, Elfrid Payton is shooting 26.3% from three and that’s just a tick lower than his career average. So, he’d be an upgrade there, but this isn’t a Payton-bashing column (yet); that’s just called Knicks Twitter. Instead, I want to prove to you that, in the right situation, Frank can be a plus shooter.

The biggest part of that equation is the ever-coveted corner three where, throughout his career, Frank has been very solid. Last season, per Cleaning The Glass, Ntilikina shot ~52% on corner threes. Granted, that was on a low volume – just 14-of-27 overall. However, if you expand that sample to the entirety of his career, he’s shooting 31-of-76 on corner threes for a tidy ~41%.

That includes a perfect 1-for-1 this season so far.

Here’s the thing about the Knicks’ mostly dysfunctional offense: they actually generate a respectable number of corner threes. In fact, 9.3% of the Knicks’ total shots come from the corners which ranks 11th in the league, per Cleaning The Glass. And, New York hits 38.2% of their corner threes, roughly a league-average rate. So, you may think: We want to add a marginally better corner three-point shooter to a team that already does fine in that area? How will that possibly move the needle for our desultory offense?

First, having another player who can reliably step in and hit corner threes is a huge plus. This is not a “hat on a hat” situation. Shooting, as PD Web smartly wrote for The Strickland, is a compound skill that amplifies the shooting of everyone else on the floor.

Second, Frank is also a passable catch-and-shoot three-point shooter. Last season, he shot 33.7% on nearly 2 catch-and-shoot 3PAs per game. That’s not world-beating, but it’s better than RJ Barrett, Elfrid Payton, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin so far this season. It’s also roughly the same points-per-shot value as someone who shoots 50% from two (oh no, am I starting to sound like one of those basketball snobs?). The point is, the shots that really dragged Frank’s three-point percentage down last year were his pull-up attempts. This season, in an offense that is orchestrated by guys like Randle, Barrett and Quickley, Frank can stick to his strengths and excise the pull-up attempts that drag down his efficiency.

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…

3) How Frank Ntilikina can help the Knicks: Defense

Don’t roll your eyes! I know the Knicks defense has been mostly sound, but I’m thinking more in terms of how defense can lead to offense. This season, the Knicks have been one of the worst teams in the league at turning over opponents. With an opponent turnover percentage of just 12.1%, the Knicks rank 29th at forcing turnovers. That futility is partly to blame for the Knicks’ inability to generate easy buckets in fast break situations. New York averages 7.2 fast break points per game which ranks dead last in the league.

Enter Frank – the lanky, anticipatory Frenchman with a penchant for pilfering opponents’ dribbles. Last year, Frank led the team in steal percentage, accounting for 28.1% of his team’s steals while he was on the floor. For context, there were 189 players to play at least 20 minutes per game last season (at least 50 games played), Frank ranked 19th in steal percentage in the entire league.

Those steals should lead to more opportunities to get out and run, which this team desperately needs.

Conclusion

Frank may not be able to penetrate defenses as consistently as Payton. He will never go 10-for-10 and score 25 points in a half like Rivers. He isn’t the shot creator that Alec Burks is, either. But, whether it’s shooting or consistency or defense, each of those other guys have glaring flaws that hinder the Knicks during their time on the floor.

Frank, and I believe the evidence supports this, is a more complete player than those guys, and his playmaking and defense are much better than Reggie Bullock’s. As such, Tom Thibodeau should seriously consider playing Frank regular rotation minutes and give him a fair chance to earn his spot going forward.