As the Knicks season wraps up with another failure to make the playoffs, it's important to note how the team achieved its other main goal of the season: player development.
No one's development was more important than guard Frank Ntilikina, the Knicks' first-round draft pick last year. Most people see Ntilikina's rookie year as a colossal disappointment, but a look past his poor offensive numbers paints a different picture.
It's important to strip away all the pretense here and look at the facts objectively. Entering Friday night's game against the Heat, the eighth overall pick in last year's draft was averaging 5.6 point per game on 35 percent shooting from the field and 31 percent from 3-point range in 21 minutes per game. He's dished out 3.1 assists and committed 1.7 turnovers per game. Those are fairly abysmal numbers that are impossible to run from.
There is also context to some of the criticisms of his offensive game. Many Knicks fans were disappointed to see the explosive drives to the rim from Dallas' Dennis Smith Jr. and Utah's Donovon Mitchell absent from Ntilikina's game, but anyone who watched him in Europe knew that wasn't part of his repertoire. He was a complementary player in France who rarely handled the ball, and the Knicks knew that when they picked him. He needed development offensively, which is why injuries in the Summer League and preseason hurt him so much.
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Ntilikina was also never part of a weight program in Europe. Working in an NBA training program over the summer should add strength to make him more explosive. He should also become a better penetrator and finisher because he'd be able to absorb more contact at the rim and still finish.
Ntilikina did show more aggression as the year went along, showing a good first step to get into the lane more often and using his long strides to separate from unsuspecting defenders. He just didn't do it nearly enough, too often settling for pull-up midrange jump shots.
So while the lack of explosive penetration wasn't a colossal disappointment, Ntilikina's shooting was. He was a good shooter in his last pro season in Europe, shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 43 percent from behind the arc. One of the reasons he was such a good prospect was that, at worst, he would project to be a good defender and shooter. Three-and-D players are a real commodity in the NBA, and to have that as a player's floor is extremely valuable.
It is important to note that he wasn't the only rookie to struggle with shooting this year. Smith is shooting under 40 percent. Charlotte's Malik Monk, a great collegiate shooter, has shot worse than Ntiilikina. The Lakers' Lonzo Ball has shot just 36 percent. Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox is at just 41 percent. All these players should improve with practice. Ntilikina has pretty good form and a soft touch. His jumper isn't broken and should improve with reps.
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Ntilikina's other definable skill coming out of Europe was his court vision. He has flashed elite passing skills throughout his time with the Knicks, but between those flashes were too many sloppy and lazy turnovers. He cut down on those later in the year, but that might have been more of a product of the Knicks playing him off the ball more than real improvement. His handle also needs some tightening.
That's where the Knicks deserve some blame for Ntilikina's offensive development. After Trey Burke was called up from the G League and the team traded for Emmanuel Mudiay, the Knicks rarely used Ntilikina at point guard. With his length, unselfish mindset and court vision, that should still be his positional focus. To move him to shooting guard, where he would rely on his least developed skills to succeed, doesn't make any sense.
When Ntilikina spent time at point guard, he showed good instincts for what to do with the ball off the pick-and-roll. He shields the ball from trailing guards with his body and is adept at finding his screener going to the basket or for open jump shots. While there were too many missed midrange jumpers on these plays, his decision making was fine despite a general lack of opportunities.
His limited minutes also couldn't have helped his confidence, either. Far too many times early in the season, coach Jeff Hornacek would pull Ntilikina off the floor immediately after a bad play or decision. For a player the team was trying to convince to be more confident and aggressive, it was a weird strategy.
That brings us to where Ntilikina shined as a rookie, defense. It should be a surprise to no one that defense was his strength since that was his calling card in Europe. He uses his quickness and 7-foot wingspan to stay in front of guards and even held his own against small and power forwards on switches. Players who can guard multiple positions are extremely valuable in the modern NBA. Ntilikina fouled a bit too much, but that is easily correctable.
His instincts as a help defender were often right on -- blocking shots, getting steals and putting himself in the right place at the right time. This is where his intelligence as a player showed most consistently. When Ntilikina guarded opposing ball handlers in the pick-and-roll, they only scored 0.65 points per possession, putting him in the 91st percentile in the NBA. For comparison's sake, teammate Jarrett Jack was in the 18th percentile on those plays, Burke was in the 11th percentile and Mudiay was in the 49th percentile. Ntilikina was the difference maker. For a player to be so advanced defensively at 19 years of age is impressive.
Ntilikina's impact on the team's defense was just as stark. The team gives up more than six additional points per 100 possessions when he is on the bench. He has the best defensive rating on the team of players who have played significant minutes. He also has a better net rating when he is on the floor than every other player on the team spare Kristaps Porzingis, Jack and Kyle O'Quinn. Despite his atrocious offense, Ntilikina was still a net positive on the court because he played such excellent defense.
And that's why there is still a lot of hope for him to develop into a two-way impact player. It is much easier for a player to work and improve his shot or handle than develop the mindset, instincts or tools be an upper-echelon defensive player. Ntilikina should spend his whole summer improving his strength, jump shot and handle. If he can do that, the sky is the limit for how impactful a two-way player he can be. It shouldn't be lost on anyone that it was his two-way potential that convinced the Knicks to draft him last season. It can still pay off.
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