Why New York Knicks fans should be patient with Frank Ntilikina

Frank Ntilikina is a project for the New York Knicks, but fans should be patient with him due to his potential and versatility.

New York Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina did not have a great first season in the NBA. The eighth overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft struggled shooting the ball and playing consistently in games in his first year on the Knicks.

Pegged as the point guard of the future, he was a part of the young core including star Kristaps Porzingis. Though he stayed healthy throughout most of the season, he only averaged 5.9 points per game, shooting 36.4 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from the 3-point line.

The New York media and Knicks fans gave Ntilikina a hard time last season, but I think that they were too hard on him. I expect him to improve a lot next season and his defense and intangibles in his rookie year were some signs that Ntilikina will be a solid piece for the Knicks in the future.

This combo guard is only 19 years old and will be 20 when next season starts. He’s also 6’5″ with a 7’1″ wingspan and was pretty good on the defensive end last year. He was by far one of the best perimeter defenders on the Knicks and showed some promise.

As a point guard, Ntilikina only averaged 1.7 turnovers while posting 3.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. He showed flashes of promise last year as a rebounding guard who can distribute the ball without turning it over. Though his offense didn’t come around his rookie year, he contributed to the Knicks in other ways, which is a sign of hope for fans expecting him to be a key piece of this team’s rebuild.

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Being a top 10 pick hurt Ntilikina in the sense that people expected too much out of him before the season. The pressure from playing in Madison Square Garden also probably affected him last year, so I expect him to shake off some of the nerves from his rookie year.

Where Ntilikina needs to improve on his game is on the offensive end. In the new NBA, where offense is often praised more than defense, Ntilikina was not a good shooter and had trouble finishing at the rim. He only shot 31.8 percent from behind the arc and defenses did not respect his jump shot. If he wants to improve, finishing at the rim and shooting the ball efficiently should be his main focus in the offseason. Improving on that will make the game much easier for him and will help him improve.

The Knicks and their fans should be very patient with Ntilikina, because he showed some promise at the end of the year. In the last five games of the season, he averaged 10 points, 5.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, and even though it came in a small sample size, the improvement is something to be happy about as he plays in Summer League later this week.

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Next season will be an important one for Frank Ntilikina, but fans should remain patient with the development of the second-year guard from France.

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