New York Knicks: Ceiling and floor of every young player

Frank Ntilikina

Okay, so hear me out on this one: Frank Ntilikina should not be playing the point guard position. Not in today’s NBA at least. But until a usable time machine is invented to send him back to the ’80s, for God’s sake, move him to a wing position. You’re welcome New York, my contact info will be linked in this article.

Unfortunately, many people seem to have given up on Ntilikina. What’s even sadder is that they have no reason to give up at all. The Knicks selected him to be a defensive anchor,–which he absolutely is–and not a scoring guard.

Every contending team has lockdown defenders on their squad whose job is to glue on the opposing offensive threat and make their life a living hell. The San Antonio Spurs had Bruce Bowen, the Los Angeles Lakers had Michael Cooper. Those people’s jerseys are now hanging above the hardwood, as some Knicks fans still complain about Ntilikina’s flawed shooting.

Ceiling: Michael Cooper/Tony Allen

The problem with Ntilikina is that he is facing tons of pressure. He arrived in the United States of America, New York of all places, and had the label “franchise point guard” instantly placed upon him.

Apart from moving him to a wing position, the arrival of a true franchise point guard would help Ntilikina’s transition a whole lot. He wouldn’t have to handle the basketball as much, focusing his energy for the defensive show.

Floor: Cory Joseph/Jarrett Jack

In the–incredibly likely–scenario that the New York Knicks do not treat Ntilikina’s situation with the utmost attention, Frankie will probably end up being one of those “okay” defensive point guards that you bring on your team as a backup.

Those names mentioned above are potent scorers, though they rarely produce anything spectacular. Similarly to Ntilikina, shooting the ball is not a big issue for them, though they do not excel at it either. As mentioned before, they are an “okay” addition to any squad.