While the plan has always been to bring rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina along slowly, the fact that the Knicks failed to land a notable veteran at the position this offseason gives the first-year player an opportunity to sneak into the starting lineup.
“Of course [I want to start],” Ntilikina told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, before stressing that he’s a team player more concerned with simply improving over the course of his first campaign with the Knicks.
The Knicks added Ramon Sessions over the summer but while Sessions brings a source of veteran leadership, he hasn’t been a consistent starter previously in his 10-year career.
Regardless of where he ends up in the rotation, the Knicks’ eighth-overall pick acknowledges a need to work on his body and brace for the physical challenges of stepping into the NBA.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Although his name has frequently come up in trade rumors, Sixers big man Jahlil Okafor “couldn’t be happier” in Philadelphia. The center spoke with Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times about the idea of suiting up for another squad.
- The Celtics aren’t about to plan their offseason around what the Cavaliers are doing. “We have our own problems and our own challenges and trying to put players together that can win and compete in the league today is very difficult,” Danny Ainge said recently on the Dan Patrick Show (via CSN New England).
- The Celtics and Sixers will take their talents to the United Kingdom this season, an NBA.com press release reveals. The two division rivals will square off in NBA London Games 2018 on January 11.
Sessions. Be careful with that mantle of leadership regarding the skinny Ntilikina. RS came to cleveland talented, versatile defensively, fast enough for the 1 and stout enough for the 2. He got into a conditioning kick and became so fast and skinny that he REGULARLY flew past the defense and outofbounds without being strong enough to turn the corner to the basket. The next year that was said to fixed but was not– still too skinny. He got displaced by rookie Irving without being able to move to 2guard even though it was available. 10 teams, 11years. Make sure Frank eats!