The Dallas Mavericks are closing in on Frank Ntilikina.
During the 2017 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks, to the surprise of many, elected to draft somewhat of an unknown prospect by the name of Frank Ntilikina. After four less than stellar seasons with the Knicks, the team elected to not re-sign him this summer.
After a rough first few seasons in the league, Ntilikina is hoping that his next stop will ignite the next chapter of his career. From all indications (or according to Marc Stein), it’s believed that Ntilikina will be signing with the Dallas Mavericks.
Through his first four years with the Knicks, Ntilikina struggled to find consistent minutes and only averaged 5.5 points and 2.7 assists per game in less than 20 minutes per contest. He is a good defender but failed to make the necessary strides on the offensive end that the Knicks hoped he would. He’s a career 37 percent shooting from the field.
The hope is that he can resurrect his career with the Mavs, in which he’ll be entering with essentially no expectations. Essentially, Ntilikina will be battling to win a roster spot and, ultimately, minutes in the rotation.
Frank Ntilikina is a smart low-risk, high-reward move for the Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs, after failing to sign a point guard during the offseason, need help in the backcourt and while Ntilikina is far from a sure thing, his potential is something that the Mavs should feel good about gambling on.
There’s a reason why Ntilikina was drafted in the top 10 of the 2017 NBA Draft – and it wasn’t because the Knicks made a big mistake. Was it a surprising move? Absolutely, but there were many other teams that had a high draft grade on him as well.
Leaning on his defensive prowess and draft pedigree, Ntilikina will have the opportunity to make an impact on the Mavs this season. But it starts with earning his way onto the roster in training camp and then earning minutes via preseason performance.
The Mavs need some depth in the backcourt and Ntilikina needs a fresh start to his career. The two sides could be ideal for each other heading into the 2021-22 NBA season. But there are still a lot of I’s that need to be dotted and T’s that need to be crossed for this to all work for both the Mavs and Ntilikina.