Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
The New York Knicks seem to have established Frank Ntilikina as their starting point guard for the season, resulting in him playing at a higher level.
Before the 2018-19 season even started, a certain question was often asked, regarding the New York Knicks. Who starts at point guard?
During the first five games of the season, we experienced a rather peculiar lineup with Trey Burke running the point and Frank Ntilikina playing as a shooting guard. Since the 1-4 start to the season, Trey Burke has moved to the bench with Ntilikina taking over the starting point guard spot.
With Kristaps Porzingis out, more and more players seem to be stepping up like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Allonzo Trier. Even though not every Knicks fan would agree, Ntilikina is also silently stepping up for the team.
Ntilikina was drafted with the eighth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft with high hopes of him being the team’s point guard for the future. After a season with no All-Rookie selections, Frank seems to have returned to action better than before.
Here are three reasons why New York Knicks fans should love Frank Ntilikina’s start to the 2018-19 season thus far.
@FrankLikina <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://t.co/nRdQterTP8">pic.twitter.com/nRdQterTP8
<p>— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://twitter.com/nyknicks/status/1059236331769991168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>November 5, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>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.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_329112" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img class="size-large wp-image-329112" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1052814456-850x560.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images</p>
</div>
</div>
<h3>2. Burke is not picking up where he left off</h3>
<p>Ask every New York fan what the best part about the 2017-18 campaign was and they will all reply “Trey Burke!” in unison. In a season with more lows than highs, Burke was a very important reason to watch the Knicks throughout that span.</p>
<p>After the All-Star break, Burke turned into one of the best point guards in the entire Eastern Conference, averaging 12.8 points with 4.7 assists in just 21.8 minutes per game.</p>
<p>But sadly, he has not continued with his stellar performances into the 2018-19 campaign. Enter Frank Ntilikina.</p>
<p>Providing a dependable solution at the point guard spot, Ntilikina has earned the starting spot and seems irreplaceable as of now. Had he not started performing at a starter level, the New York Knicks would be much worse than they are now.</p>
<p>Last season, Burke was most used when the team needed offensive production, whereas Ntilikina came on to provide a spark of energy on the defensive end. This season, Ntilikina is proving himself capable of contributing on both ends.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_329119" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img class="size-large wp-image-329119" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1055814202-850x560.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images</p>
</div>
</div>
<h3>1. Who else is there to guard the star ball-handlers?</h3>
<p>With the increase in minutes Frank Ntilikina has seen, his defensive numbers have also improved. Averaging more steals and blocks is only scratching the surface of what Ntilikina does on that end of the court.</p>
<p>To be frank (no pun intended), the fact that he has increased his block averages means a lot, given the fact that he has played half of his games so far defending wings who were generally taller and lengthier.</p>
<p>He is a very versatile player to have on the court. He can defend three positions, as he showcased earlier in the season. And is there a reason the Knicks can’t go super small-ball and run Ntilikina at the 4 against teams like the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/golden-state-warriors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Golden State Warriors</a>?</p>
<p>He had already let the world know of his incredible defensive skills during his rookie campaign. Here is an incredible statistic that could make Knicks fans ecstatic:</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">#1 in the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@NBA at defending the pick-and-roll this season? 👉 <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://twitter.com/FrankLikina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@FrankLikina, allowing only .65 points per possession. Jrue Holiday of the Pelicans finished second at .71 PPP. (<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://twitter.com/SynergySST?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@SynergySST) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://t.co/f6JPUwbb32">pic.twitter.com/f6JPUwbb32
<p>— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://twitter.com/nyknicks/status/988822100243894272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 24, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>Still not convinced regarding the defensive contribution the young Frenchman brings to the table? Here is a clip from Sunday’s game against the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/washington-wizards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Wizards</a> with Ntilikina defending <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/oubreke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kelly Oubre</a> Jr., a player with a 7’3” wingspan.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Frankie clamps. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://t.co/Ha4xSM48QD">pic.twitter.com/Ha4xSM48QD
<p>— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://twitter.com/nyknicks/status/1059226118723698694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>November 4, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>It is clear to see that the Knicks currently possess a defensive gem.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Week 4 NBA Power Rankings" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/05/2018-19-nba-power-rankings-week-4/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/06/new-york-knicks-3-reasons-to-love-frank-ntilikinas-season-so-far/"https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/05/2018-19-nba-power-rankings-week-4/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Week 4 NBA Power Rankings </a> </div>
</div>
<p>Now it’s up to them and coach David Fizdale to make him shine like one.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">