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Ready to get defensive, Ntilikina may be joining Mavericks at the right time

When he was a potential draft target of the Mavericks back in 2017, Frank Ntilikina was also known as French Frank.

That’s because the Strasburg native had an impossible-to-pronounce last name.

For the record, it’s NIL-uh-KEE-nuh.

“The T is silent,” he said.

OK, with that detail sorted out, the 6-4 guard can get on to more pressing matters.

Like pressing.

Known for his work as a defender all over the court, Ntilikina has fallen under the radar the past couple of seasons with the New York Knicks, who chose him with the eighth overall pick in 2017, directly ahead of the Mavericks’ choice of Dennis Smith Jr.