New York Knicks: Frank Ntilikina will succeed in the NBA

A few weeks into his young career, New York Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina has all the looks of a good NBA player

Frank Ntilikina was drafted 8th overall and was considered one of the most raw prospects at the top of the 2017 NBA Draft. A 19-year-old guard with a freakish athleticism and frame just needed to put it all together.

We knew coming into his rookie season, his offense would need the most improvement. He has the tools to succeed, drive and score, but needs to put them all together.

Plenty of times he creates great space for his own spots; he just isn’t sinking them at the moment. Ntilikina needs to play with more confidence when driving the lane. That often comes with time and experience, though. He has all the tools to be a good scorer. He might not be a 25 point per game a night player, but at his peak, if he gets there, could end up being an 18-20 point per game scorer.

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Two areas that he’s already shown promise in are playmaking and defense.

In just his 20 minutes per game, Ntilikina is averaging two steals and four assists. That’s just about four and seven, respectively. if he was played starter minutes at 36 minutes per contest.

The steals are glaring at four per game; his assists, however, at seven doesn’t seem too high. The reason his assists numbers aren’t glaring is simple; most of his minutes are not coming with Kristaps Porzingis or any of the other quality Knick players. Plenty of potential assists are left on the court when Ntilikina is running the floor.

They just don’t hit the shots when he gives them the ball, or even remotely help themselves get open besides when Frank does it for them. As he assimilates himself into the starting lineup however, you will see how good he creates and makes plays for others.

At the very worst, Frank Ntilikina will be an elite defender in the NBA, which is always valuable. He’s that good. His length and quickness allow him to always stay in front of defenders and makes it hell for them to get pass him. He plays passing lines fantastically as well and hedges on and off screens, and ball handles like he’s a natural, because he is.

Ntilikina also isn’t afraid to guard or pick up the opposing team’s best defender, as we saw when the Knicks played the Cleveland Cavaliers. If there’s an area where he can improve on the defensive end, it’s his energy level.

As counterintuitive as it seems, him being too anxious to pick up allows sometimes his primary target on defense to slip away into a wing or corner three spot like Kemba did numerous times when New York played Charlotte. With good coaching, he will learn that in the film room.

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Frank Ntilikina might not be a superstar in the NBA, but he will succeed. He’s a fantastic playmaker and is on the way to becoming an elite defender. He might not be the best player in his rookie class, or top five, but he’s going to a solid player in the NBA, at the least, and New York Knicks fans should be happy.

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