Struggles in his debut

practice he showed glimpses of what he can do and going forward, as he gets more comfortable and the game slows down a little bit for him, he’s going to be great.”

Although the numbers weren’t great, Ntilikina showed some flashes on defense and while setting up the offense. If anything, he suffered because of a lack of aggression on offense. The 19-year-old could start in the preseason as Jeff Hornacek tinkers with rotations.

“He could’ve been more aggressive with the ball,” teammate Michael Beasley said. “I think that (Nets point guard D’Angelo) Russell was more aggressive than him. That’s really it. I felt like he had fun.”

Ntilikina, 19, who was drafted eighth overall by Phil Jackson, is considered a potential defensive stopper with his long arms. And the Knicks could certainly use that this season. Surrendering 115 points to the Nets only reinforced their reputation.

“We have a little work to do,” Hornacek said. “It’s funny how you go over things in practice and then it get in the game, it’s a little different speed.”