Quote:
Originally Posted by mac222b
About Frank:
He's only 20 years old(!) and is 6'5 with a 7'1 wingspan. As a rookie he was the best in the league at defending the pick and roll. He can guard multiple positions on switches. His shot isn't broken-- he has a nice release and shoots pretty well from the ft line.
He can absolutely be one of the best defenders in the league. Bruce Bowen only with exponentially better handles and court vision. The game will slow down for him eventually. Play him off the ball more and all he needs to do is learn to hit the corner 3. I would love to have him here. Obviously the contract is an issue with free agency looming. But aside from that the guy is the definition of a great buy low target.
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Clearly, you HAVE seen Ntilikina play.
New York Knicks: Frank Ntilikina Ranks No. 1 In Stunning Statistic
Ntilikina's rookie season was spent as a 19-year old in a foreign country learning a foreign language, with a journeyman coach (Hornacek) fighting for his coaching career, loath to play rookies and trying to drag a talent-thin roster toward .500, and a playoff berth.
Guess who lobbied Hornacek for more playing time for Ntilikina, because of his playmaking and defense? Kristaps Porzingis.
Ntilikina's second season was spent playing for a certified moron (Fizdale) who was being directed to Lose-For-Zion. Fizdale jerked Ntilikina around by starting him pell-mell and willy-nilly at 3 positions, jerking him out of games, and then benching him for long stretches without explanation, then compounded by suffering a recurrent groin injury.
Ntilikina has Elite Defender written all over him for the world to see, and is EXACTLY the kind of wing defender who would complement Doncic. He has a nice 3-point shot, with a beautiful release and rotation, but he needs to be encouraged to take it. His weakness, as I see it, is a failure to assert his elite athleticism taking the ball to the basket.
What he needs is a change of scenery into a stable environment, with a coach who can instill some confidence into him, and encourage him to press the advantages his physical tools afford him.
I'd much rather have Ntilikina and Rubio than some broken-down-assed Al Horford on a $100 million contract, FFS.