Frankly, David excited about Ntilikina
In a job full of projects, among the biggest and most important for David Fizdale is last year’s first-round draft pick, Frank Ntilikina.
It’s already obvious that the Knicks – along with 12 other teams – missed the boat on Donovan Mitchell. But what about Ntilikina’s ceiling? His new coach said he’s keen on the possibilities.
“I see a possibility with a two-way player,” Fizdale said Wednesday morning on ESPN. “The kid takes real pride in defending. He got big-time wingspan. He’s a combo guard. I think we could get him where he’s knocking down that 3-ball every single time, feet set. His shot’s already looking pretty good. I think he’s a little too unselfish. But again, I think he has that competitive streak I really like. That’s all I hear about from people in the organization, from his teammates. So I’m really looking forward to coaching the kid and seeing where we can get him.”
Deciding that Ntilikina wasn’t
quick enough with his dribble to create penetration as a point guard, the Knicks mostly played the Frenchman off the ball in the second half of last season. It’s been argued that Ntilikina’s more valuable as a point guard (so long as he could handle the position) because his size and wingspan create matchup problems for the opposition. A big problem with Ntilikina’s transition to the off-guard was his inefficient shooting (just 36 percent overall and 32 percent from beyond the arc), which Fizdale said he can fix. Fizdale also said in Tuesday’s introductory press conference that he emphasizes “position-less basketball,” meaning he’s not averse to playing the team’s three point guards together (Ntilikina, Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke).
“Roll them out there. Put them out there together,” Fizdale said. “It’s about speed, skill, aggressiveness, attack, playmaking. All of these guards have that ability. So I see a lot of versatility in there. I see a lot of combinations with them on the floor together. Obviously we’re going to develop the heck out of them. And I’m going to keep my foot up their butt about defending.”
Fizdale continued his bullish evaluations on Ntilikina in a later interview on WFAN. He also compared Emmanuel Mudiay’s style to Dwyane Wade’s, and Lance Thomas’ to Draymond Green’s.
“Obviously Frank has so many great dimensions about him. I love his toughness, his defensive disposition. The fact that he’s an unselfish player,” Fizdale said. “He’s 19 years old, the kid’s still going through puberty basically.”