New York Knicks: 3 reasons to love Frank Ntilikina’s season so far

3. Improved offensive contribution

During the first 10 games of the season, Ntilikina has greatly improved his offensive contributions. Don’t get this wrong: He is not a scoring machine and will probably never be one. But he has transitioned from an offensive liability into an offensive player to be reckoned with.

Let’s take a look at the numbers we are dealing with. He has upped his scoring averages from 5.9 to 7.5 points per game while increasing the number of shots he takes by 1.7 per game on average.

Ntilikina looks hungrier and more willing to score on the offensive end. During the 2017-18 season, 31.4 percent of his shots were 3-pointers. To take things into consideration, 47.2 percent of his shots are now 3-pointers.

The one percentage that most stands out is his significant improvement on mid-range shots, especially those taken 10-16 feet away from the basket. His once laughable 34.6 percent shooting from the specific area has now become a very respectable (and probably unsustainable) 57.9 percent.

Even though Ntilikina has been taking most of his shots away from the basket, this doesn’t mean that he won’t make the occasional drive to the rim, which often leads to a score.