The New York Knicks received a great deal of flack for the selection of Frank Ntilikina at No. 8 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. Critics insist that they aren’t throwing dirt on an innocent 19-year-old’s name, but with every passing Dennis Smith Jr. comment comes a thinly veiled shot at the French enigma.
The noise grew louder when Ntilikina hit the rookie wall in early January, but that’s only strengthened his almost unparalleled resolve.
Brief a stretch as it was, Ntilikina scored a grand total of two points during the Knicks’ recent three-game losing streak. Considering New York fell in double overtime to the Chicago Bulls and lost in overtime to the New Orleans Pelicans, criticism inevitably mounted.