
New York Knicks: Ntilikina’s improving 3-point shot
For all of his well-documented struggles inside the arc, Ntilikina has actually blossomed as a marksman from behind it.
After shooting 30.5% from three in his first two NBA seasons, he’s connected on 36.2% of his triples over his past two years in the league. That 36.2% has come on 185 attempts too, a fairly large sample size given the brief amount of minutes he receives each game.
This includes a ridiculous 47.9% mark from deep this past season, hitting threes seemingly anytime he checked into a game.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau had Ntilikina fully operating in an off-ball role, using him as a floor-spacer instead of instructing him to initiate the team’s offensive sets.
This is a major reason why the young guard has become an improved shooter, allowing him to fire away corner threes. This is a shot that Ntilikina has hit 43.3% on throughout his career, so it makes sense that Thibodeau wanted him to take more of them.
Derrick finds Frank pic.twitter.com/0dhkhTTEIP
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 12, 2021
Ntilikina will be suiting up for the French National Team in this summer’s Olympics, and it seems like his improved shot is here to stay. He went 2-2 from behind the arc in France’s first exhibition game on July 8th.