It’s hard to understate the importance of Frank Ntilikina‘s 2019 FIBA World Cup run. Thrust into a starting role, the New York Knicks point guard has answered the call.
One of his French teammates and a current Charlotte Hornet—Nicolas Batum—believes Ntilikina has played a major role in France’s success in China. His fourth-quarter outburst on Wednesday opened the door for the upset over Team USA.
“He was clutch,” said Batum via EuroHoops.net. “And that was a big turnaround for us. We lost our point guard (Thomas Heurtel) to injury during the preparation, and we needed him to have a big tournament.