frank ntilikina

Can Knicks’ Frank Ntilikina ever be a quality starting point guard?

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New York Knicks, Frank Ntilikina

With Elfrid Payton missing time with a sore hamstring, the New York Knicks and head coach David Fizdale will roll with third-year man, Frank Ntilikina. The Frenchman started in the loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night, despite his team falling in disappointing fashion, 104-102.

Ntilikina finished the night with 10 points and two assists, but his defensive abilities were on par late in the game to slow down Kemba Walker. The Celtics point guard still logged 33 points and five assists on the night.

The New York Knicks still need him to develop his offense:

Frank’s weakness remains his offensive production and inability to put up points in tough situations. That reality hasn’t convinced Fizdale to keep him on the bench, though, as experimenting with RJ Barrett at point guard didn’t go as anticipated for Fiz.

Dealing with adversity has been a constant for Ntilikina during his young career. Being benched and overlooked last season to playing just 18 seconds against the Celtics last Saturday, he could finally be developing some upward trending momentum.

“Frank is really playing good basketball for us,” Fizdale said Saturday. “I’m just really proud of the way that he stayed with it and his confidence is growing every day.

“He’s doing exactly what I’m asking. He’s pushing the ball. He’s getting us into our stuff. He’s really defending, obviously. He’s being very vocal, which has been another step for him, using his voice. We’re going to just keep trying to grow him, keep him in a good place.”

Fizdale did hit on a perspective that most don’t understand. The transition from France to playing in the United States, especially in New York. Being inserted into one of the most hostile sports environment takes time to learn and adapt to.

“He’s still a baby, man. I think everything feels like forever here in New York,” Fizdale said. “Frank is a young kid from another country, had to go through that whole adjustment of figuring it out, his teammates, figuring out New York City, America, everything. It’s finally where he’s starting to get comfortable and being able to just play basketball without thinking about all of that other stuff.

New York Knicks: What’s David Fizdale doing with the point guard position?

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New York Knicks, Frank Ntilikina

New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale has taken an interesting approach toward the point guard position to start the season, utilizing his trio of options situationally, favoring veteran Elfrid Payton.

The former New Orleans Pelican was reportedly promised the starting job, and he surely won it in the first game of the regular season, putting on a defensive clinic. Dennis Smith Jr., a player who the Knicks brass had high hopes for, has been abysmal to start the year, but he’s more than capable of turning his bad luck around.

The New York Knicks must commit to a point guard and not re-invent the wheel:

However, third-year player Frank Ntilikina has been stuck in a rotation that has seen rookie forward, RJ Barrett, earn more minutes at point guard. The reality is, Ntilikina doesn’t have the size or strength to battle at the rim, and his lack of elusiveness around the basket doesn’t make him a reliable offensive threat.

The Frenchman is a defensive stud, though, playing situationally to lock down the opposing team’s point guard. Some would make the argument that Ntilikina should be starting, and the momentum could help instill confidence and elevate his game. Against the Magic on Wednesday, Fizdale once again took an interesting approach towards the position.

Fizdale started the game without a point guard but had Barrett feature as the primary keeper. This move failed miserably, as the New York Knicks put up a whopping 83 points on the night. Ntilikina ended up playing 29 minutes and scored seven points, finishing with a +2 +/- on a night where most players were in the negative.

Keeping Frank out of the starting lineup could affect his confidence, but Fizdale was adamant that he understood the approach:

“No, not at all. He’s not even thinking like that. He understands exactly what I’m doing. I communicate to these guys why I’m doing what I’m doing. He’s going to have to play a ton of minutes [Wednesday]. I can’t afford to lose him to foul trouble. So I’ll spread him out. Frank’s our lone pure point. I don’t want to mess around and get either one in foul trouble.’’

Moving forward, I would like to see more of Ntilikina and his defense. However, he must begin producing more on offense to become a constant option — an all too familiar storyline.

 

Fizdale’s coaching decisions drop the New York Knicks to 1-4

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New York Knicks, David Fizdale, Julius Randle

After an exciting first victory of the season, the New York Knicks took on the Magic down in Orlando.  This trip to Florida wasn’t so magical for the Knicks, as they fell to 95-83.

The Knicks came out in first half looking good.  They were in the game and all aspects of their play was solid, except for their 3-point shooting.  The Knicks were 7-31, 22.6%, for the entire game.  The highlight from beyond the arc was Frank Ntilikina half-court heave at the end of the first half.

And once again, as all Knicks fans know, the 3rd quarter happened.  The Knicks came out sluggish, careless and not boxing out.  The Magic were able to build a 12-point lead and take over the game.  The Knicks went on a run to get back into the game.

Then the head-scratching coaching decisions from David Fizdale continued.  It began in the first half where the Knicks were needed offense.  Allonzo Trier sat snug on the bench.  The guy who proven to give you offense, when needed, didn’t sniff the court.  Fizdale decided to go with Daymean Dotson instead, as Trier didn’t play all game.

It makes sense to get Dotson back into the rotation coming off his shoulder injury.  But, in a game when you need offense it’s not time to ease someone in.  However, it didn’t make sense to start Wayne Ellington over Ntilikina.  Ellington has been struggling shooting and the Knicks need more defense in the starting line-up.

The biggest coaching decision came late game when the Knicks and Kevin Knox got back into the game, only being down by a score.  Knox had the hot hand after a poor shooting performance to begin the game.  Fizdales decides to take Knox out for Marcus Morris, who had an awful outing.

The entire flow and control of the game for the New York Knicks changed once Morris checked in for Knox.  Morris was taking contested shots, like always, and ruining the momentum.  That swap of players killed the game for the Knicks, ultimately losing.  It might be time to start Knox over Morris, as Knox is part of the future not Morris.

This lose was all on Fizdale.  He continues to make unnecessary substitutions that ruin the flow of the game for the Knicks.  It is only a matter of time until the fans get restless and start to call for a new head coach.

New York Knicks: Head coach David Fizdale gets overzealous in loss

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New York Knicks, David Fizdale, Julius Randle

After a stellar start to the 2019-20 season, rookie guard, RJ Barrett, came crashing back down to earth against the Washington Wizards, as the New York Knicks failed to top 90 points in a disappointing loss. Losing 83-95, the Knicks will look to bounce back against the Boston Celtics in a tough matchup, and hopefully, Barrett can bounce back after a lackluster performance.

The Duke product shot 4-for-11 from the field and 1-for-4 from downtown, logging just nine points on the night. His -20 +/- rating was his lowest this season, but Barrett struggling was expected at some point. After playing lights out basketball and showing his immense potential and quality across four games, RJ proved he’s also human. The real test will be how he rebounds after a poor performance and if it will derail his fantastic start to the season.

The New York Knicks might be experimenting too much:

Head coach David Fizdale was keen to utilize Barrett as his starting point guard on Wednesday night. While he has played well in moderation at the position, Fizdale might have got enthusiastic about the idea of featuring him right off the bat.

Frank Ntilikina, the Knicks’ reserve point guard, finished the contest with seven points, four assists, four rebounds, and earned a +2 +/- rating. He was far more effective than Barrett at point guard, which makes sense considering his experience at the position and defensive expertise.

It will take significant time for Barrett to develop into a starting quality point guard if Fizdale elects to continue utilizing him in that fashion. I believe that the Knicks should keep Barrett as a shooting guard and move forward with Nitlikina at the helm, considering his defensive qualities and overall potential. Providing him with confidence could be the key to finally unraveling his potential, but inserting him into the lineup off the bench might hold him back from playing his best basketball.

New York Knicks: Ntilikina has to build off a “fantastic” scoreless outing

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New York Knicks, Frank Ntilikina

Bobby Portis wasn’t the only member of the New York Knicks receiving praise for their first victory.  Frank Ntilikina received loud ovations from the Garden faithful Monday evening.

Ntilikina went scoreless, 0-6, from the field but that didn’t stop the cheers from raining down.  He provided a good defensive tone in the second half as the Knicks stormed back for the win.

Coach David Fizdale was able to give Ntilikina more minutes due to the unfortunate circumstances with Dennis Smith Jr.  Fizdale praised the Frenchman with his play stating it was “Fantastic.”

It always seemed like whenever the Knicks tried to get back into the game in the second half the Bulls would answer.  That was ultimate Ntilikina started to play lock-down defense on Bull defenders.

Zach LaVine was shut down by Ntilikina in the second half.  At one point, LaVine tried to take the game into his own hands but Ntilikina had other thoughts.  Ntilikina keeping his defender in front of him was beautiful to watch.  If he wasn’t able to do so, the game might not have went in the Knicks favor.

Despite going scoreless from the field, that was a game Ntilikina needs to build upon.  The Knicks instilled trust in Ntilikina by picking up his fourth-year option for next season.  Fizdale started to show that he’s giving Frank trust by keeping him in for defensive purposes in crunch time.

The Knicks got their first victory of the season due to the performances of RJ Barrett, Portis and Ntilikina.  His play was encouraging despite not scoring any points.  Some fans may think that Ntilikina wasn’t a key player in Monday’s victory.   But if it wasn’t for his defensive ability at the end of the game, the New York Knicks might still be winless on the year.

And the new fan favorite for the New York Knicks goes to…

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New York Knicks, Bobby Portis

There’s a new sheriff in town for the New York Knicks, at least for one game.  Last night, Bobby Portis rained supreme.  The Knicks got their first victory of the season and we can thank Portis.

We’ll start quickly with the first half.  The Knicks couldn’t get any shot to fall and the Chicago Bulls made everything.  It was an atrocious first half of basketball for the Knicks.  It was very difficult to watch.  Everything about their performance in the first half was careless.  The passing, rebounding and rotating on defense etc.  Head coach David Fizdale looked like a deer in headlights, as Knicks fans vented their disgusted on Twitter.

The second half was a different team.  It seems like that’s always the case for this squad.  The Bulls shooting finally cooled down and the Knicks took advantage.   RJ Barrett and Portis were the guys leading the charge.  Barrett was consistent throughout the entire game and shows why he’s already in the conversation for Rookie of the Year.  Even his teammates are having confidence in Barrett to be the guy in clutch situations.  He was getting the ball and being aggressive driving to the rim when the Knicks needed a big bucket.

Then, it was Portis time.  He made a few shots in a row and his confidence was at an all-time high.  Besides Barrett, the rest of the Knicks were off offensively.  Whenever there was a big shot in the second half, especially fourth quarter, Portis was the man taking it.  Portis hit four huge 3’s to propel the New York Knicks to victory.

Portis ended the game with 28 and 11 and was 4-4 from beyond the arc.  We always also receiving “Bobby Portis!” chants from the Garden faithful.  For those few hours, Portis was the king of New York and the talk of the town.

New York Knicks weekend takeaways; They look to avoid 0-4 start

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New York Knicks, RJ Barrett

The New York Knicks are looking to avoid a 0-4 start to this 2019-20 season.  Over the weekend, the Knicks dropped two games to divisional opponents, the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics.

The Knicks battled back against their cross-town rival, Nets, but ultimately fell short.  Even with the lose to the Nets, the Knicks play was still encouraging.  They showed they can compete with good teams and be competitive.

However, the Celtics game was a different story.  The Knicks got off to a hot start, leading 13-2, but returned to the old Knicks form and getting blown out.  Kemba Walker took over like the he has in the past during his UConn days.  Walker hitting three straight 3’s shifted the tides.  The Knicks made it close in the second half but the Celtics were too much for the Knicks.

The biggest takeaway from the weekend was the Garden faithful booing Dennis Smith Jr. and chanting for Frank Ntilikina.  Smith Jr. has been severely under-performing this season and New York fans will let you hear it.  There was a lot of hype surrounding him this off-season with his ‘new, improved’ shot and wanting to be a leader.

The booing may have been a little much.  Smith Jr. has not been 100% dealing with a back injury.  However, this is New York and when there’s expectations surrounding a player and when you don’t live up to that, you’re going to hear it.

After those Smith Jr. boo’s, the “We want Frank!” chants rained down from the Garden.  Ntilikina still didn’t sniff the floor despite the chants.  Coach David Fizdale said, “He’s keeping Frank in his pocket” when is comes to playing minutes.  We all know what that means, it’ll be tough for him to get minutes basically.

Tonight, the Knicks look to get in the win column hosting the Chicago Bulls.  Despite the poor second-half showing against the Celtics, the Knicks have been competitive.  Their record should at least be 1-2 but that isn’t the case.

The Knicks are basically being led by their 19-year-old rookie stud RJ Barrett who only continues to improve each game.  The season is over not.  This feels like a team that can go on a run once they get that first victory.  Do the Knicks finally get a ‘W’tonight against a winnable opponent?  If they want to, they can’t get down on themselves.

New York Knicks: Dennis Smith Jr. falling down the depth chart

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New York Knicks, Dennis Smith Jr.

After the New York Knicks fell to the Boston Celtics, 118-95, one reality became apparent. Point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is not mentally prepared or physically capable of being a starter in New York.

Hopefully, Smith will break out of his cold-streak sooner rather than later, but his inability to impact games positively through three games is hugely disappointing. Over 11 minutes on Saturday night, Smith went 0-for-3 from the field, scoring zero points. His -15 +/- on the night ranked third-worst on the night behind Kevin Knox and Allonzo Trier.

The former Maverick’s defense was putrid and his offense even worse, and that could result in him dropping down the depth chart behind Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina. His body language after being pulled late in the game was a clear indication of his frustration, which was also noticed during his time in Dallas.

Can the New York Knicks extract the most out of Dennis Smith Jr.?

Smith spent the entire summer of 2019 working on his jump shot in an attempt to improve his offensive production. This was meant to ensure he won’t the starting point guard job and help elevate a position that has been a weakness for the Knicks for quite some time.

While Smith does have elite athleticism and speed, his mental attributes are weak. Bad shot selection, lousy court vision, etc. The young Knick has plenty of potentials, but he must overcome his wrongdoings. Improving his mentality and efficiency in the categories mentioned should be a priority.

“I feel like I’m in a space right now, I look at everything as nothing happens to me, it happens for me,” Smith said, according to Newsday. “That’s just how I’m moving.

“That’s the only thing that I’m missing right now, continuing to know that the next one is going to fall,” he said. “That’s the only thing missing. Other than that everything is good.

The changes he made weren’t significant this offseason, but just enough to help improve his game.

“[I’m confident] because the tweaks I made weren’t anything major, not like that. I know that it works because I shot the ball really well this summer. I shot it well coming into training camp. I know it works. It’s just taking me time to get back to it.”

New York Knicks: Frank Ntilikina went backwards in his progression

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New York Knicks, Knicks

The battle for the New York Knicks point guard position got a little clearer Wednesday night.  Dennis Smith Jr., Frank Ntilikina and Elfrid Payton were all trying to “earn” their time.  However, one guard took steps forward and the others took a few steps back.

Coach David Fizdale said that “no one has earned” the starting job yet, in regards to the point guard position.  RJ Barrett was the man running point to begin the game then Payton took over, playing extremely well, despite careless fouls.

Payton was able to push the ball up the floor and give the team a better fast break then the rest.  He ended the night with zero turnovers, 11 points on 44% shooting, eight assists, two rebounds and five steals.  The Knicks looked like a competent team with him leading the charge.  Therefore, Payton is the current leader in the clubhouse.

Despite Payton’s strong performance, Ntilikina’s game was anything but.

Ntilikina was making progress from his summer playing for France in the FIBA World Cup and just took a few steps backwards.  Some of the plays that Ntilikina had stopped any momentum that the Knicks had.  He had two careless passes which led to turnovers and easy buckets for the Spurs.  The Spurs were shook offensively before that and swung the momentum, ultimately winning the game.

Some may call the errors Ntilikina had ‘JV plays’ and they were painful to watch.  The turnovers he had were passed right to Spur defenders.  The Knicks showed their trust and confidence in Ntilikina by picking up his fourth-year option but he squashed that quickly.  Yes, it was only one game but that alone wasn’t going to earn him more minutes.

Again, yes it was one game but Payton has to be the clear favorite for the point guard job now.  Barrett can’t be the guy because he’s too valuable to put in that position.  The Knicks can’t afford to run him into the ground this early in his promising career.

Smith Jr. showed that he’s still not 100% in all aspects of his game.  Health, shooting and defense wise.  In time, he’ll be back to his normal self, but for now this Payton’s job to lose.

New York Knicks: Allonzo Trier asking to be left behind be coach Fizdale

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New York Knicks, Allonzo Trier

When New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale released the starting lineup on Wednesday night, today anticipate second-year player Allonzo Trier featuring in the opener.

Trier played all by seven minutes before being yanked from the game. He missed three consecutive shots and failed to gain a second opportunity. His scoring ability disappeared, and his isolation moves seemed to transform into a team-first attitude, which backfired in a strange yet resolving way.

The former undrafted guard couldn’t make an impact on the Knicks’ 2019-20 opener, and that surely doesn’t spell the end for Trier this season. He might end up playing a pivotal role in future contests, but his performance on Wednesday was disappointing.

Walking away with a -6 +/- on the night, Allonzo will look to bounce back on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets. Fizdale utilized Allonzo in a point-guard role, which isn’t his most influential position. It seemed as if Fiz wanted to inject the point guards into the game in similar functions, giving them equal time-slots to prove their worth.

Veteran Elfird Payton blew Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina out of the water. The combination of Frank and Dennis put a hefty two points on the board over five attempts. They also totaled an impressive one assist. Payton finished with 11 points, eight assists, five steals, and four rebounds.

Payton’s excellent defense was the highlight of the night beyond the three dismal performances listed above. Fizdale will undoubtedly go with Elfrid moving forward as the starter, and their assumptions became a reality after telling the former Pelican he would be in line to receive ample playing time.

Should the New York Knicks let Allonzo Trier revert to his usual self?

The Knicks have tried to amend Trier’s style of the play, forcing him to be more of a team/pass-first player, instead of utilizing his legendary iso moves. In the grand scheme of things, this development benefits the team, but Trier will need to adapt to his new role and find a rhythm as a more generous player on the floor.

EXTRA:

“This year he hasn’t done it,’’ Fizdale said of Trier holding the ball and going in iso mode. “I think he’s [had] two possessions where he had maybe taken multiple dribbles in a possession. He doesn’t want the nickname and he wants to change that perception of him as a guy that holds [the ball]. He wants to be just Allonzo Trier. He’s been going about it the right way and he’s been showing that in practice.”

“He doesn’t like that nickname anymore. He’s done with it.”