New York Post

French PG Ntilikina may not work out for teams before draft

- By MARC BERMAN marc.berman@nypost.com — Additional reporting by Brian Lewis

Frank Ntilikina may not have time for any NBA workouts after the point guard helped lead his Strasbourg team into the French league final with a 70-69 victory Friday in a decisive Game 5 of the semifinals.

Ntilikina staged his finest performanc­e of the playoffs against Lyon-Villeurban­ne as he notched 10 points, three assists, three rebounds and standout defense with three steals.

The 6-foot-5, 18-year-old has intrigued the Knicks because of his strong body, defense and reported 7-foot-1 wingspan.

Had Strasbourg lost Friday, Ntilikina planned to be on a Saturday flight for New York, where he will be based in the run-up to the draft. But the best-of-five finals start Tuesday and may not finish in time for Ntilikina to stage personal workouts with teams or — more importantl­y — interviews and measuremen­ts ahead of the June 22 draft.

“No matter what, he will be in New York on draft night,’’ his agent, Olivier Mazet, stated in an email.

The Knicks have the eighth pick and are considerin­g another European selection.

The Post reported Knicks general manager Steve Mills flew to France in late May to watch Ntilikina play. Some NBA scouts believe he could be a project as a rookie.

After Knicks president Phil Jackson hosted North Carolina State point guard Dennis Smith Jr. for dinner earlier this week, the Knicks scheduled workouts with two sweet-shooting offguards, Duke’s Luke Kennard and Kentucky’s Malik Monk, as candidates for the eighth pick in the draft, according to a source.

Both Kennard and Monk would provide desperatel­y needed outside shooting. Monk is projected to go to the Knicks by Draft Express and Basketball Insider’s Steve Kyler, while Kennard is regarded as a Top 12-15 pick.

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