Free agent guard Frank Ntilikina is receiving interest from Italian club Virtus Bologna as a potential replacement for Nico Mannion, according to BasketNews.com. Mannion will miss the beginning of the season as he recovers from an intestinal infection.
“We are looking on the market for an element to be included, a point guard who can also remain in the future,” head coach Sergio Scariolo said as part of a larger quote, according to EuroHoops. Because of that, we focus on young people who can give something important, rather than a veteran addition.”
Ntilikina fits the bill for what Virtus Bologna is looking for. The defensive-minded 23-year-old was drafted eighth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, spending the past four years with New York.
Across those four seasons with the Knicks, Ntilikina has averaged 5.5 points, two rebounds and 0.8 steals in 19.5 minutes per game. He’s struggled with his shooting at the NBA level, owning a 36.6% mark from the field and 32.8% mark from deep in his career.
Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype takes a look at the top prospects for the 2022 NBA draft, crafting an early aggregate mock draft for the event based on the rankings of various draft experts. Among the projected high-lottery picks is Duke freshman Paolo Banchero, whom Kalbrosky pegs as most likely to be drafted first overall.
- Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider link) examines the recent Nets–Pistons trade featuring veteran center DeAndre Jordan, grading both sides and giving his opinion on which team won the trade. Brooklyn, which received an A grade from Pelton, dealt Jordan, four second-round picks and $5.78MM in cash in exchange for Jahlil Okafor and Sekou Doumbouya. The Pistons, who got a C-plus, then reached a buyout agreement with Jordan, allowing him to sign with the Lakers.
- Spurs rookie Joshua Primo has signed a multi-year shoe and endorsement deal with Nike, according to Jeff Garcia of KENS 5. Primo, 18, was selected No. 12 overall in this year’s draft after spending one season at Alabama.
Lakers or Clippers should of offered Frank the minimum. He could of helped them.
I was shocked Primo was taken so high. Considering Spurs could of traded down and still got him. But after watching him play. Kids got game. He’s a shooter scorer with a handle. He could be special. Pops last swing at the NBA. He found Kawhi with the 15th pick. I’ll be watching him, he’s only 18. Already NBA size.
The best thing for Frank is to go overseas, play a lot of minutes, and develop his game. Playing five minutes a game for the Lakers or Clippers helps no one, especially Frank.
Yup here we go. Frank as Euro-bound.
It’s where he belongs. And I actually mean that as respectfully as possible.
His lack of shooting makes him useless to the Lakers. Maybe the Clippers sans Kawhi could have taken a flier … but there are a lot of guys w/ untapped potential to choose from tbh.
“Pops last swing in the NBA”?
N’kina fan with the what-ifs. He had more than his chance. Knicks got better by forgetting about him.
There are so many teams that could use defense at the guard spot/on the wing, and Ntilikina could provide that. I would be surprised if he doesnt get an NBA offer, although a few of those teams are seeming unlikely to address that weakness for whatever reason
Look at Ben Simmons, he’s a great defender, one of the best in the league.
But no one wants to give up anything of value to the Sixers to get him.
There are lots of players out there who are good defenders, but if they happen to be a major liability on offense then who wants/needs them?
The nail in the coffin for Frank is size
Maybe if he could guard bigs and smalls a la Simmons or Smart then you could overlook his sub-G league offense
But as a 6-3 defensive specialist strictly on PG’s…….the market for that type of player isn’t thriving in this era
But he has a lengthy wingspan where he can guard 1-3, and he shot the ball well in his minutes last year. Trading for Ben Simmons and giving Frank Ntilikina the league minimum to play a role isnt the same thing, and most of the teams I’m referring to also already have enough scoring/shooting where if he doesnt shoot it that well, it doesnt necessarily matter as much. Teams like Portland, Dallas, the Heat, etc…
He had a .512 TS% last year, which is pretty bad. 3P% was 47% but 2P% 19% and FT 44% so probably a victim of sm sample size.
But most all of his offensive #’s are pretty bad—he’s played over 4000 NBA minutes and posted a 7.7 PER which is actually impressively poor for a lottery pick.
And I’m a little skeptical on him guarding legit big wings, even with the wingspan, bc at 200 lbs he’s still tiny even if lengthy. Smart has the wing plus the muscle that let’s him do it at his size. Frank is still a twig.
Having followed him for the past few seasons in NY, my conclusion on Frank is that his upside (the next Pat Beverly) isn’t high enough to justify waiting it out for him to figure out how to shoot, which he’s failed to improve over multiple seasons.
On a 2-way maybe but I think a roster spot could be put to better use. Just my .02 tho.
Frank’s 3PT% of 47% last year is attributable to small sample size, imo. If you remove just three games from his line this year (where he went a combined 10-10), his 3PT% plummets to 34%. Only made 23 threes all year.
Ya but as I’ve said many times, the players on the floor around him makes me throw out a lot of those situations. Also, if you look at remaining FAs, and teams with multiple roster spots, and teams with needs at the spots I’m mentioning, what better available options are there really to fill those spots, and again…he doesnt have to do that much offensively, besides not be a ball stopper, drive into the paint off ball movement for kickouts as a secondary/third playmaker, and knock down wide open shots on catch and shoots. Defensively, guard the guard spots, and on certain teams contribute on the wing (not necessarily against wings like Kawhi and Paul George, but all the regular ones), and take the ball in transition off rebounds…nobody is saying go be a top 5 rotation player. I’m saying he can do those things I’m talking about for certain teams that need help in those areas, and he might not even play in a lot of matchups in those situations, but I prefer to have depth that does the things my team doesnt do well, especially if that has been a problem for multiple years
I would agree that there’s probably a team out there where he might make sense as an end of the rotation option—if for no other reason than he’s 23 and a former lottery pick.
But he can probably make vet min money or better in Europe and actually play regularly, and being European I could see that appealing to him more than another year as a 12th man in America being seen as a bust. We’ll see.
Now his 3 point shooting isn’t great, but isn’t bad at all neither, but… man the FG% is what kills his shooting, maybe Frank should stick to only throw 3’s, his shooting line would look a little bit better…
Anyway he might enjoy more playing for a powerhouse like the Virtus Bologna than been end of bench for a backwater team like OKC or CHI!
Please GSW Dallas Minnie Wizz do something for Franck … No more PG just à SG hand skilled League now that killed the 5 position too
Damn. Wasted pick. He’s still so young and his perimeter D is legit. Just goes to show that if you’re a pg in today’s nba you gotta be able to shoot and distribute. But I’m surprised Frank can’t carve out a Beverley type role. At only 23 or whatever … there’s gotta be upside
Please GSW Dallas Minnie Wizz do something for Franck … No more PG just a hand skilled SG League now that killed the 5 position too
But, but Frankie Smokes was part of the young core! Knicks fans hyped this kid so much, he couldn’t even get min deal.
Thankfully Rockets have abundance of guards or they would call Frank’s agent for a two way contract
Frank is 6’4” with wingspan. He can guard the 1-2-3. Defense is half the game. Truth is playing mins overseas would help. Something he should of been doing in G-league first two yrs. Still he gets on a new team he’ll find a shot good enough to play. Frank shot .479 % 3PT last yr. He’s a career 75% FT shooter. His issue is confidence. NY killed it. He can help both teams. Even if it’s only on D. At the minimum it’s not a big deal. He’s not a true PG more a combo guard. You can’t score if you lose your confidence. Europe would also help him get that back. He still has a shot at 23.
I can only feel bad for some of these young men. It took me a lot longer than being in my early twenties to figure life out and all that entails – discipline, confidence, humility, work ethic etc.
Everyone is so quick to trash players who are essentially still kids.
The players like Frank, Anthony Bennett etc who are figuratively thrown into the wilderness after a short time to come up with the goods.
It just shows that the NBA is for prodigious talents who show remarkable poise and maturity at a young age.
That’s the full package – size, athleticism, skill, maturity and discipline.
Lack one of these, and unless you’re seven feet tall with at least two of these attributes, you’re out of the league.
That’s life in professional sports bud. Figure it out or don’t
Ain’t pro whatever Franck already played in euro before but when you are out out of the NBA you are done even more if your not from the US … Figure this out or don’t
“A PG in today’s NBA has to be able to shoot and distribite”… Umm yes. BB is not baseball where one can dream of being the equivalent of a relief pitcher. Players get exposed, kind of the merit of the sport.
Success can go to teams that draft players a year “early” because they get them first… example Jokic/DEN. Not everyone is ready and teams have never existed as academies. The Robin league, the GL, gets ignored. The NCAA is under attack.
There is no place for a N’kina and never was… he’s just a chaser. He’s good at chasing the ball around, like a . Not sure why this should translate to anything. The NBA has moved on.
How Can US scouts don’t evaluate Doncic to go #1 and Jokic 2nd round ..? Franck IS clearly a good back up PG in the NBA but Knicks are not a rooks team
Frank great defense can hit the three can do nothing else