3 Reasons Why the New York Knicks Should Re-Sign Frank Ntilikina

Could the New York Knicks bring back one of their own?

New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina will be entering restricted free agency this offseason, marking a fork in the road for the career of the French combo guard.

The 2017 eighth overall pick never lived up to the hype of his draft position, but does he contribute enough to warrant a second contract and finally break the Charlie Ward curse? (No Knicks rookie has received a 2nd deal since Ward in 1999)

The 22-year old’s measly career averages of 5.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game on 36.6% shooting make it seem like the answer to the question should be an easy no, but Ntilikina’s impact has always gone further beyond the box score.

While the thought of paying Ntilikina might be baffling to some, it shouldn’t be an expensive move at all. New York could offer him a contract similar to the one that Austin Rivers received last offseason, a 3-4 year deal worth around $3-$5 million annually while being laden with incentives and team options.

It would be a low-risk, high-reward move to bring back Ntilikina as the 11th or 12th guy off the bench.

Given his relatively young age and the fact that the Knicks finally have a competent coaching staff in place, it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility to see him grow from a strictly situational defender to an everyday 3&D role player.

Here are the 3 main reasons why the team should re-sign Frank Ntilikina this offseason.