Ntilikina hurts ankle in practice accident
Knicks practice took a turn for the worse Friday, when rookie guard Frank Ntilikina went down with an apparent ankle injury.
During a competitive game of 4-on-4, Ntilikina hobbled off the court before going to the ground and clutching his left ankle. The Frenchman clearly was in a lot of pain and stayed down for several minutes.
“Looked like I thought he maybe stepped on Willy [Hernangomez’s] foot,” coach Jeff Hornacek said shortly after the incident. “[Frank] went to box him out and it looked like he stepped on his foot. Hopefully it’s not too bad.”
Ntilikina has battled injuries since the Knicks selected him with the eighth-overall pick in the 2017 draft. He sat out all of the summer league and missed the final four preseason contests with a knee bruise.
This latest injury did not look good and essentially ended the practice session. While Ntilikina was on the floor, several members of the team and coaching staff huddled around him, encouraging the 19-year-old to breathe and relax.
With the Knicks set to take on the Pistons in their home opener Saturday, Ntilikina is listed as questionable.
He struggled in limited action during the team’s first game of the season, going 0-for-2 with two airballs and one turnover in just under eight minutes in Thursday’s loss at Oklahoma City.
Hornacek attributed Ntilikina’s poor performance to a combination of rust, given how much time he had missed, and nerves.
“Both shots he took were right on line,” he said. “He was just a little jacked up and they went too long. He had to build his way up [from injuries]. That’s unfortunate that he twisted [his ankle] right now.”