Dallas Mavericks: 5 options for pick No. 9 in 2017 NBA Draft

3. Frank Ntilikina, PG, France

The Dallas Mavericks uncovered a pair of guards last season, signing Seth Curry to a bargain deal in free agency and pulling Yogi Ferrell out of the D-League. Both undrafted out of college, they stepped up in Dallas to start and find success down the stretch of the season. While neither project as future stars, they can be reliable rotation players on a good team.

The Mavericks have to address the position of starting point guard or at least add a piece that can work well with Ferrell and Curry to provide the team with top notch play. Frank Ntilikina, a French point guard entering the draft, could be the solution to that problem.

The Mavericks have always been at the front of the pack scouting internationally, and that may provide them the level of comfort necessary to take Ntilikina with the ninth pick. Although he has provided impact at the club level, Ntilikina’s true highlights come from international play, where he will succeed Tony Parker as the next great French point guard.

Defensively Ntilikina projects as a bulldog down the road, with the length and toughness to bother opposing guards at either backcourt position. His quick hands and extended reach allow him to both close off passing lanes and snipe potential passes from midair.

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Offensively he has a smooth jumper that has worked for him more often than not, but will need some work to gain consistency and diversity.  While he can make pinpoint passes, he also turns the ball over a lot — in fact his greatest weakness may be his inability to take care of the ball and generate efficient offense for his entire team.

If Ntilikina can cut down on the turnovers and work on his shot — both realistic goals in Rick Carlisle’s offense — he could become a solid starting point guard, and perhaps more. But it’s also possible that Ntilikina ends up a good rotational point guard — think Shaun Livingston post-injury, or Mario Chalmers — and doesn’t reach the ceiling of his game.

The Mavericks need a player that can be the former, as they already have the latter.

Ntilikina’s combination of size and defense would be a perfect fit alongside the players this team already has in place. If they decide he’s heading for greatness, he should be the pick at nine.