Signs point to Ntilikina shift as a success
In his first NBA start as a point guard, Frank Ntilikina tied his career high of 17 points against the Warriors on Friday night, notching 13 in the first half.
Coincidence? In each of his first five games as starting shooting guard this season, Ntilikina didn’t reach double figures. The 6-foot-6 Ntilikina was a pure point guard in France until the Steve Mills-Scott Perry regime looked to transform him into more of a shooting guard and small forward to take advantage of his defensive versatility.
Now the Knicks face a dilemma on what’s next for Ntilikina.
“Whatever coach tells me where he wants me, let’s do it, let’s go,” Ntilikina said after the Knicks fell apart in the fourth quarter and dropped a 128-100 decision to Kevin Durant and the NBA champs. “That was mymindset. It doesn’t matter. We all know it’s going to change and we have to find the best rotation for our group. I’m always going to be ready wherever he wants me”
Late last season, Ntilikina made seven starts, all at shooting guard. Friday, Fizdale shook it up, benching starting point guard Trey Burke and switching Ntilikina from the wing. Fizdale said before the game part of the reason for the shakeup was a wish to see Ntilikina against Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.
The Knicks coach also said the new alignment, which featured rookie Mitchell Robinson and Noah Vonleh up front and Damyean Dotson at the wing, could get a five-game run.
“He ran the show, picked his spots,’’ Fizdale said. “He didn’t pass up much. I really thought he got after it defensively and competed hard. The guy was playing against one of those special, once- in-a-lifetime talents. I thought he really did a solid job against that.”
Their 20-year-old 2017 lottery pick was in a groove in the first half, making three 3pointers. Ntilikina finished 6 of 11 and didn’t disappear on offense as he has done in some games this season (he was averaging 6.6 points per game before Friday).
“It’s just overall compared to last season, this season I feel more comfortable wherever I’m at,’’ Ntilikina said. “I think I did a lot of work this summer to allow me to be more comfortable on that court. I had a good game. I know my goal is to be consistent wherever I can be efficient and give more options to the team.”
Perhaps the Knicks realize no free-agent point guard will rush to their doors in July and pursuing Durant is their best bet. Hence, it’s time to revisit Ntilikina at the point, especially since Burke hadn’t shown the same flash he displayed last season.
The vexing wild card is young point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who could make his season debut Monday versus the Nets after being out more than two weeks with a sprained ankle.
With the Knicks (1-5) on a five-game losing streak, Fizdale is wondering if his club doesn’t believe they can win close games. Four of the five losses were decided deep into the fourth quarter.
“We don’t see ourselves as a team who should be competing,’’ Fizdale said. “I’m trying to get that belief in them. We’ve taken three really good teams [Boston, Milwaukee, Golden State] pretty deep. I’m trying to get them to understand to believe in yourself and believe they can win games.’’