Vet Jack: Ntilikina wants to learn
The kid listens. And that is half the battle for rookie Frank Ntilikina, according to veteran Knicks point guard Jarrett Jack, who has found it is so much easier to lead and teach a guy who wants to be led and taught. And that’s especially true when you’re dealing with all the elements players endure as a pro.
“Man, he’s willing to listen. It’s the rigors, the bumps and bruises of the league, the ups and downs of it that he’s learning,” Jack said. “You might have a great game, you might have a subpar game, you might not play so well, your minutes might be high, might be low. That’ s
the NBA.
“And that’s what getting a grasp is on this thing. That’s what I try to help him with. The basketball par t , he knows how to pl ay. He wouldn’t have gotten here if he didn’t. It ’s just accepting the challenges every day. This is a ‘ What did you do for me’ league”
Ntilikina, who struggled mightily Monday against the Clippers as he fought a cold bug, appreciates all that is being passed on by Jack and another vet, Ramon Sessions.
“[Jack] shows how to lead the team, how to run the show, how to be just a very good point guard for the team,” Ntilikina said. Ntilikina “seemed a little better” Tuesday in his fight with illness, coach Jeff Hornacek said. Tim Hardaway Jr. reported no negative repercussions after playing Monday on a sore left foot.
“It was great because I think he only played 26 minutes. We were able to keep some of that pres- sure off his foot. Those two days helped him and he felt OK today. We’ll continue to monitor it but it doesn’t seem to be a real major deal,” Hornacek said. While the likes of Kri
staps Porzingis and Enes Kanter spoke of revenge on the Raptors for the bad l oss s uffe re d Fr i day in Toronto, Hornacek stayed even keel, of course.
“It’s more about what we do sometimes than what the other team’s doing. If we do the right things, the proper coverages defensively, we’re going to have chances to win games. S o me t i me s wh e n yo u have that attitude it’s great because you know they’re going to be ready to play,” Hornacek said. “If you get too caught up into I’m not going to let him do this and that, and it’s not your proper rotation, a good team’s going to pick you apart.”
The Knicks announced the hiring of Dan Sabreen as vice president of public relations.