Brunson received the “blessing” from his former Dallas teammate, Frank Ntilikina, who spent his first four seasons in the NBA with the Knicks. The two were teammates this past season in Dallas. Brunson signed a four-year deal with the Knicks shortly after free agency began.

Ntilikina and Brunson were teammates this past season in Dallas. Brunson averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field in the playoffs helping Luka Doncic carry the Mavs to the Western Conference Finals.

Ntilikina signed with the Mavs on a two-year deal in September of 2021 and will look to fill out the role following Brunson’s departure.

The post Frank Ntilikina Gave Jalen Brunson ‘His Blessing’ to Take Old Jersey Number appeared first on SLAM.

Perlongtime NBA insider Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks have emerged as the “likely destination” for Ntilikina.

Ntilikina has shown flashes of potential during his career, particularly on the defensive end, but has yet to piece it together. He has also found playing time hard to come by in New York over the past four seasons.

The Frenchman holds career averages of 5.5 points and 2.7 assists per game. However, Derrick Rose’s continued renaissance in New York and the rise of young guard Immanuel Quickley significantly cut into the young guard’s playing time, as he only averaged 9.8 minutes per game in 33 contests last season (both career-lows).

With an impact that goes beyond the stat sheet, the Mavs could be fitting destination for Ntilikina, as Dallas ranked 21st in defensive rating last season (112.3) and could use an additional guard that picks up defensive responsibilities alongside playmaking prodigy Luka Doncic.

The Mavericks are coming off a strong season, finishing fourth in the Western Conference with a record of 47-25. However, the season ended in disappointment when Dallas couldn’t escape the first round of the playoffs, falling to the fifth-seed Los Angeles Clippers.

The post REPORT: Mavericks Have Emerged as ‘Likely Destination’ for Frank Ntilikina appeared first on SLAM.

“I understand his game a lot,” Barrett told Ian Begley of SportsNet New York. “[He’s a] European player – that’s kind of the way I played growing up. I feel like we understand each other.“

Given the fact that they’re a combined 40 years old, the idea of Barrett and Ntilikina growing familiar with each other and developing in tandem is an intriguing thought for Knicks fans.

Despite the fact that Ntilikina has started just 26 games (compared to Barrett’s 45), the two have logged 588 minutes together so far this season. That two-man pairing is the ninth most heavily used by the team in 2019-20.

In 46 games for the Knicks so far this season, Barrett has averaged 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Those numbers might not jump off the page for the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft but the 19-year-old has played through two head coaches in his first year out of Duke, for a franchise without a clear direction.

Barrett and Ntilikina are, of course, just two members of an intriguing crop of young Knicks players, many of whom have been pushed to the backburner at various times this season while the wayward team chased wins with more experienced players.

Those wins never came and several shifts have started to take place since, including the dismissal of team president Steve Mills and the trade deadline deal that sent 30-year-old Marcus Morris and his 18-plus points per game to Los Angeles.

Whether this means more opportunities for the other high upside Knicks remains to be determined but Begley notes that it’s a distinct possibility if the core remains in tact when Leon Rose takes the helm.

For now, at least, Knicks fans can take solace in the fact that there’s growing momentum behind a backcourt pairing of Ntilikina and Barrett which can be at least partially attributed to the fact that they speak to each other in a language only they understand.

The post Knicks Unafraid To Lean On French-Speaking Backcourt appeared first on SLAM.

In part because New Yorkers wind up in this city because they or their parents have all B-flatted their way out of their hometowns, they all see it happening right now. They see it in French Frank.

As veterans of being abused by Knicksian Goldfish Brain, where good young players are shot out of a cannon by GMs the second a 37-year-old former All-Star becomes available, Knicks fans know when somebody’s been given up on. They have read the tea leaves and discovered that 21-year-old Frank Ntilikina, whom the Knicks have consistently treated like a mistake or somebody else’s draft pick, has been given up on. 

They’re trying to get justice, and they’re starting with collecting evidence.

Fans have spent the last several months combing through promo flyers and PR campaigns the Knicks put out for signs of Frank. They note the now-dispatched Trey Burkes and Mario Hezonjas, both of whom some guy at the Madison Square Garden Company was forced to photoshop like a Street Fighter character. But not a lot of Frank.

It’s so virulent and obvious it’s become a meme. When searching for an example of this on Twitter, I found a guy trying to pump up his friend, who was attempting to become a professional battle rapper.

“Make another one bro, you’re a battle rapper missing a valuable social media outlet for you and your fan base. You got LeBron talent but Frank Ntilikina promo, man.”

Maybe the team had it out for him. Coach David Fizdale certainly seemed to have the same opinion of Frank that the marketing department did, anyway.

If you like yelling about basketball but not really paying attention to it, the slight made sense. Despite the very cool nickname, Frankie Smokes only averaged 5.7 points per game last year. He was buried behind Burke, Emmanuel Mudiay, then Dennis Smith Jr on the depth chart. He looks a little uncomfortable running the offense. He is not and won’t be Michael Jordan.

This guy was the 8th overall pick. And, again, he was somebody else’s pick! Phil Jackson, who drafted Mr. Smokes, is loathed in New York for making a percussive series of wacky decisions (all of which now look normal in hindsight, but let’s not get into that).

I called up my Knicks whisperer, Robert Silverman, a former Knickerblogger writer who now uncovers dark sports things like NCAA scandals. It is not the cheeriest sports beat. Bob is fanatical about it all; Frank gives him light, not unlike Jesus or a chopped cheese at 2 a.m.

“The Knicks haven’t had a good PG since Steph [Marbury] and, before that, [Mark] Jackson. But even for younger fans, there’s a legacy that people desperately want to see revived,” Silverman told me. “When a kid like Frank comes along, rational evaluation doesn’t apply. Knicks fans desperately want him to succeed.”

Getting relentlessly beaten down by the city and all of its ghosts is part of the allure.

“We’re desperate for a player we feel connected to, watched mature, suffered through growing pains, and then succeeded beyond everyone’s wildest expectations,” he said.

Then some magic happened. At this summer’s FIBA world championships, Frank took over. He looked like Patrick Beverley ate nothing but tubes of anti-aging cream. He was a pest defensively. He hit jumpshots off the dribble. His French team was the first to beat Team USA in tournament play in 13 years.

This is not a data point, but I reached out to the Knicks to do some almost nauseatingly glowing piece about Frank before the season. We could’ve gone out to Le French Diner, a real restaurant in New York that sounds like a bad xenophobic joke, or we could’ve watched him disappear in midtown like he’s unfortunately so used to. They did not get back to me. And, look, they’re busy, I get it. None of this means anything.

Then I checked Evan Fournier’s Twitter account. He was the other guy in the backcourt for Team France and he tweeted this above a two-minute video of Frank tearing up the world’s point guards all summer: “The guy only needs a real opportunity.”

OK, maybe they’re out to get him a little bit. Maybe I believe it. Maybe that’s great. Maybe that’s why we get up in the morning, to watch people overcome against the banality of mild objection and slow death by ambivalence. Maybe I’m projecting. Or maybe he’s about to get a little justice.

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 224

Ben Collins is a writer and reporter for NBC News. He’s also a SLAM columnist and writes The Outlet, a monthly column in which BC muses on…well, whatever he wants. Follow him on Twitter @oneunderscore_.

Photos via Getty.

The post THE HERO NYC DESERVES: Knicks Fans Won’t Give Up on Frank Ntilikina 🗽 appeared first on SLAM.

Smith Jr. has been sidelined with a back strain, missing the team’s first two contests but Ian Begley of SportsNet New York reports that the third-year guard was healthy enough to practice this week and is now ready to go.

Smith Jr. says that his latest back episode is unrelated to the back strain that held him out of 10 of the team’s final 14 games last season, not long after the team acquired him in the blockbuster trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas.

Injuries, however, won’t be the only thing that Smith Jr. may have to stave off as the regular season approaches. Both Payton and Ntilikina have shown flashes of potential and could command minutes if not a legitimate crack at the first-string.

Payton joins the Knicks as a free agent addition, spending last season with the New Orleans Pelicans. The 25-year-old’s five-game triple-double stretch last March is just a small sign of what the guard is capable of and the Knicks saw fit to take a two-year, $16 million flyer on him.

Ntilikina, who most recently drew attention with a solid performance at the FIBA World Cup is another option for the franchise. He too, however, will have to get a handle on a lingering health issue before being completely cleared to play basketball.

Knicks coach David Fizdale insists that the team is happy to be cautious with their players during the preseason but confirms that it’s the guard’s groin that is causing discomfort. Ntilikina missed the last six weeks of 2018-19 with a groin injury.

The lack of healthy bodies may add an additional element of confusion to an already complicated log jam at the point guard position but the Knicks will take their time figuring it out.

“I don’t know who has the edge right now,” Fizdale told Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “We’ve still got two more games to go.”

The post Knicks Guards Battle Injuries, Each Other For Starting Spot appeared first on SLAM.

Heading into the 2019 offseason, I spoke with a rival executive who explained that Ntilikina’s contract simply didn’t provide much upside for a team trading for him. It had less to do with the 21-year-old’s talent than it had to do with the fourth-year option on his rookie deal. Whichever team acquired him would have make a decision on his $6.2 million option (for the 2020-21 season) by October 31, leaving just a couple weeks of regular season play to evaluate Ntilikina’s fit.

If a team declined that option and Ntilikina flourished in his new environment, he’d become a free agent and could potentially walk after just one season with the team. The incumbent team would be limited in what it could offer Ntilikina, as franchises are not allowed to turn down the fourth-year option and offer the player more than what the amount was in free agency (in this case $6.2 million).

Alternatively, the team could pick up the $6.2 million 2020-21 option and take the risk that Ntilikina would further develop and grow into a player worthy of his lofty salary. Through two years of NBA play, there wasn’t much optimism around the league that the point guard would do that.

With a promising 2019 FIBA World Cup on his resume, a rival team may feel more confident taking the second option and that could raise his value in a trade. Yet, with Ntilikina flashing some of the potential that made him a top-10 pick, the Knicks may be less inclined to move him.

General Manager Scott Perry reportedly hasn’t given up on Ntilikina though Frank Isola of The Athletic hears that there’s a minor schism within the Knicks’ front office. Perry’s hand-picked scouts and executives have different opinions than that of the employees remaining from the Phil Jackson era.

“That’s always been the case,” a former Knicks executive told Isola. “They keep a lot of people from different regimes and that causes some friction.” Isola notes that from all accounts, team president Steve Mills and Perry share a healthy working relationship and that Mills remains one of owner James Dolan’s closest confidantes.

The Knicks had hopes for a flashy summer filled with star acquisitions. Instead, they’ll embark on another rebuilding year and New York’s failed blueprint provides the team with another opportunity to see if Ntilikina can earn a long-term role on the team. Whether the Knicks decide to keep the French point guard or move him, they are undoubtedly in a better position now than they were weeks ago with the 21-year-old showcasing his ability on a world stage.

The post Knicks Have Not Given Up On Frank Ntilikina appeared first on SLAM.

As he plays more alongside Emmanuel Mudiay, Ntilikina is having to adapt to a new role on the fly.

The Knicks have played Frank Ntilikina off the ball more lately. When asked if there are shooting guards he likes to watch film of to prepare for the role, he mentioned Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan.

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 28, 2018

The post Knicks Rookie Frank Ntilikina Studying DeMar DeRozan appeared first on SLAM.

“Oh yeah, it’s definitely a shot at [Phil Jackson],” James admitted to reporters Monday in New York.

James says he’s no fan of the Knicks’ former team president, with whom he feuded last season.

Per Cleveland.com:

So on Monday, James, in beginning to explain his Smith-Knicks opinion, said “I wasn’t throwing shade at Frank (Ntilikina) at all, for people that got their pants in a bunch, things of that nature in New York, look for any controversy here.”

 

And then he was asked about Jackson, the former Knicks executive James loathes because of disparaging comments he’s made about James’ inner circle of friends.

 

“Oh yeah, it’s definitely a shot at him,” James said. “That’s for sure. … I wasn’t even thinking about the kid when I was talking about Dennis Smith. I was thinking about the Knicks organization, and Phil Jackson at the time, and Dennis Smith’s talent, and (Kristaps) Porzingis. That’s all I was thinking about.”

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LeBron took an indirect shot at Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina on Saturday, saying that New York made a mistake by passing on Dennis Smith Jr in the 2017 Draft.

After throwing down an alley-oop late in the first quarter, LeBron bumped into Ntilikina, who shoved James in return.

Enes Kanter then came to Ntilikina’s defense by getting into James’ face.

Things getting chippy between LeBron and the Knicks pic.twitter.com/zAhQt6QSvz

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 14, 2017

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New York instead used the 8th pick on Frank Ntilikina, whose teammates were none too pleased with LeBron’s comments.

"That’s why I was pissed he said that. Come on. That’s a rookie. You cannot just say anything like that about him" #knicks https://t.co/qV7n2zExyd

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) November 12, 2017

The 19-year-old brushed off the furor James’ opinion caused ahead of the Cavs’ visit to Madison Square Garden tonight.

Per the NY Post:

“In life people can think whatever they want,” Ntilikina said after practice Sunday in Tarrytown. “However, it’s not gonna affect us and me so whatever is said, whatever people think, me and the team are just getting focused on what we’re doing every day to improve.”

 

As to why James made those comments, also simple. The Cavaliers play the Knicks at the Garden on Monday. James is admittedly close to Smith. James probably meant it more as a shot at ex-Knicks president Phil Jackson, who drafted Ntilikina. Jackson ruffled James last year when he used the term “posse” referring to the superstar’s friends and business circle.
 

“This is my rookie. This is my team. This is my organization. I cannot just let [James] disrespect [Ntilikina] like that,” [Enes] Kanter said. “Frank’s doing an unbelievable job. Every day he’s working really hard. It doesn’t matter if it’s LeBron or whoever it is, I cannot just let him disrespect him like that. The coaches, the GMs, the president, this organization knows what they’re doing. That’s why I was pissed he said that. Come on. That’s a rookie. You cannot just say anything like that about him. I know LeBron is a really good guy … but why Knicks? There were like [seven] ahead of them.”

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The post Knicks ‘Pissed’ at LeBron James’ Dennis Smith Jr Comments appeared first on SLAM.

“The Knicks passed on a really good one, and Dallas got the diamond in the rough. He should be a Knick.

 

“That’s going to make some headlines, but he should be a Knick.

 

“Dallas is definitely… I know they’re excited that he didn’t go there.”

Smith Jr had 21 points in the loss to James and the Cavs. Smith Jr was selected with the ninth pick, right after the Knicks selected French point guard Frank Ntilikina with the eighth pick.

Ntilikina’s teammate and face of the Knicks franchise, Kristaps Porzingis, responded to James’ comments.

KP on LeBron: 'I don't know why he said that…I wouldn't trade Frank for anybody '

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) November 12, 2017

Ntilikina, a defensive-minded guard, has played in 10 games so far this season, averaging 4.4 points, 5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Smith Jr is going for 14.8 points, 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds in his 11 games this season for the 2-11 Mavericks.

The post Kristaps Porzingis Responds to LeBron James, Saying ‘I Wouldn’t Trade Frank for Anybody’ appeared first on SLAM.

Ramon Sessions: I may be mentoring the next Kyrie Irving #Knicks https://t.co/s2kKIB4jif

— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) September 27, 2017

Sessions, 32, says Ntilikina has “got a lot of Kyrie tendencies” in his game.

The 6-5 point guard was picked eighth overall in this summer’s NBA Draft.

Per the NY Post:

“It’s funny,” Sessions said in his first remarks since signing with the Knicks. “It’s one of those things. I played with Johnny [Flynn] when he was younger. Kyrie when he was young. He’s got a lot of Kyrie tendencies. Not the most athletic guy but can handle the ball in tight spots. It’s still early on, but he definitely gives me that Kyrie feel when Kyrie was a rookie.“

 

Ntilikina was thrilled to hear Sessions’ comment. A lot of his peers have overlooked the European because they haven’t seen him play in the French League, where he made the Finals for Strasbourg. In the poll of NBA rookies, he didn’t garner one vote for any category. Ntilikina also missed the summer league with a knee injury sustained in the French finals.

 

“Kyrie is Kyrie,” Ntilikina told The Post. “That’s something. He’s an All-Star, has done crazy things. Hearing that is a blessing. Ramon is here for me. Giving me a lot of advice. I’m learning a lot from him.”

The post Frank Ntilikina Compared to a ‘Young’ Kyrie Irving appeared first on SLAM.

Two guys the Knicks previously expressed interest in – George Hill and Darren Collison – have already been picked up; so they have set their sights on a couple of new targets, including 31-year-old Rajon Rondo.

Sources: Knicks in touch with Rajon Rondo for Frank Ntilikina mentor role https://t.co/K99THTgyxQ #Knicks pic.twitter.com/FgAwLlZjtR

— ESPN New York (@ESPNNewYork) July 6, 2017

During the 2017 playoffs, Rondo helped the No. 8 seeded Bulls jump out to a 2-0 series lead over the No. 1 seeded Celtics before suffering a thumb injury, averaging 11.5 points, 10.0 assists, and 8.5 rebounds per contest.

New York has reportedly also been in contact with the Boston Celtics about a possible Marcus Smart trade. Stay tuned for more updates.

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The post Report: Knicks Reach Out To Rajon Rondo appeared first on SLAM.

"@PhilJackson11 was falling in and out of sleep during my workout." – @RealJayWilliams on a recent recruit he spoke with. pic.twitter.com/Qmh4j0X9Pu

— Bob Ley (@BobLeyESPN) June 22, 2017

New York ended up selecting Frank Ntilikina with the No. 8 pick Thursday night.

Jackson spoke highly of the 18-year-old shooting guard.

Per ESPN:

“We like the size of this young man, we like his aptitude for the game, athleticism, actually the ability to incorporate himself in a winning type of a situation,” Jackson said shortly after the Knicks took Ntilikina with their first-round pick.

 

Ntilikina, an 18-year-old 6-foot-5 guard, averaged 5.7 points and 1.6 assists this season for Strasbourg. Jackson said he hoped Ntilikina would be able to contribute right away but acknowledged that it might take the young guard time to get acclimated to the NBA game, which is expected for any 18-year-old not named LeBron James.

 

“Top-10 picks are all really young guys,” Jackson said. “You have to understand that when you go in the draft these particular years. … We know this is a project-type of atmosphere where we have to build a player that is going to develop. We hope he jumps out and helps our team this year.”

The post Report: Phil Jackson Fell Asleep During Pre-Draft Workout appeared first on SLAM.

The same goes for international prospects, only they usually mention how they’re nervous for their interview, too. English, after all, isn’t their first language. They then share how they’ve spent the past five years honing their speaking skills by imbibing every piece of American pop culture they can get their hands on. For Frank Ntilikina, the 18-year-old guard out of Strasbourg, France, that meant binging TV shows like How I Met Your Mother and Empire (interesting combination, no?) and devouring every piece of music put out by Drake or Meek Mill.

But also: “I read a lot,” he says over the phone from France about two weeks before the NBA Draft.

Ok, so that’s a bit different? But is he talking War and Peace or Instagram captions?

“I love basketball books,” he says. “Phil Jackson’s Eleven Rings.”—a morsel that will certainly get play in New York, the city Ntilikina could very likely end up calling home following tonight’s draft—“a biography on Michael Jordan, now I’m reading a book by (longtime NBA trainer) Tim Grover.”

Ntilikina says the first two he read in French, but Grover’s book was an English version. He says he was intrigued by all the different lessons Grover was able to share, tidbits the trainer picked up or witnessed throughout his three decades in the NBA.

Which is to say, perhaps the clichés typically spouted by NBA prospects actually do apply to Ntilikina. Perhaps he has been preparing his whole life for this moment, and perhaps he is ready to make the leap from France’s LNB Pro A to the League and reward whichever NBA team elects to take a flyer on the kid with a last name that most fans don’t know how to pronounce (it’s Nee-lee-Kee-na).

“His greatest strength is his versatility and age,” says ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla. “He’s going to play his entire rookie season as a 19 year old and he does everything on the court pretty well.”

Fraschilla projects Ntilikina as a “solid NBA starter and potentially an All Star.” He does add, though, that Ntilikina has the chance to become a defensive stud. The combination of a 6-5 frame and 7-1 wingspan, of quick feet and a basketball IQ that’s been honed over two seasons in one of the top basketball leagues in the world makes him the sort of versatile, queen-like chess piece that every team in the new, position-less NBA now craves.

“He’s what I would call a no-mistake player,” Fraschilla says. “He doesn’t have dynamic athleticism, but he understands the game well and has a good feel for it.”

Much of that comes from the countless hours he spent playing alongside his two older brothers—ten and 12 years his senior. Ntilikina, who was born in Belgium to Rwandan parents, moved to France with his family at the age of three. He spent years there watching his brothers and friends battle on Strasbourg’s local courts, shooting on an open hoop and waiting for an invite into their game. Eventually it came, and it was in those parks where Ntilikina realized how his Inspector Gadget-like arms could be deployed as a weapon on the defensive end.

Then, at the age of 15, Ntilikina signed with Strasbourg’s club team. He made his professional debut a year later and soon after was on the radar of every front office in the NBA, especially after a season in which as a teenager he averaged 5.3 points in 19.1 minutes per game for a team that made it all the way to LNB Pro A’s finals (the series was undecided as of print time).

Even his jumper, once viewed as a weakness, has begun rounding out. Ntilikina drilled 39.1 percent of the 1.6 treys per game he hoisted this season and Chris Brickley, a former Knicks assistant coach who now trains NBA players and has worked with Ntilikina, says the Frenchman’s stroke is NBA ready. He has proof, too: there’s an arduous drill Brickley likes to put his players through; it consists of launching 100 3s from different spots on the floor. Brickley says that when Kevin Durant runs through it, he’ll nail around 80 percent. Most guards, he adds, drain about 70.

“And the first time I ran Frank through,” says Brickley, “he hit 78.”

None of this, of course, makes Ntilikina a sure thing. But 18-year-old kids with professional experience who project as defensive wizzes and can also do a bit of everything on the floor, well players like that don’t exactly come along very often.

—

Yaron Weitzman is a Senior Writer for SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.

Photos via Getty Images

The post The French Connection appeared first on SLAM.

Knicks GM Steve Mills traveled to France on Tuesday to watch the 18-year-old Ntilikina in action with Strasbourg of the French Pro A league.

Per the NY Post:

According to an NBA source, Knicks general manager Steve Mills jetted to France to catch 18-year-old point guard Frank Ntilikina play Tuesday night for Strasbourg in a French League match against Nanterre.

 

The 6-foot-5 Ntikilina is considered the top international prospect in the draft, and if the Knicks stay with the seventh pick, he would be heavily considered.

Ntilikina dropped 31 points against Lithuania in the championship game of the FIBA U18 European Championships in December, en route to earning MVP honors.

He’s averaging 5.3 points (in 17.8 minutes per game) while shooting 43.2 percent from three this season in France.

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