Frank Ntilikina has been a polarizing player since the Knicks selected him No. 8 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, so much so that the team was shopping him ahead of this year’s draft.
Now, the 21-year-old guard is showing he might be able to fulfill his potential. Ntilikina had another big performance at the FIBA World Cup in China, this time helping France send Team USA packing in the quarterfinals with an 89-79 win.
Ntilikina’s defense was strong down the stretch, which isn’t necessarily unexpected. It was his two big shots in crunch time, however, that give off the impression he’s improving.