The three previous games it was noticeable. Very noticeable. But the struggles for Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina extended beyond the losses to the Bulls, Timberwolves and Pelicans when he shot a combined 1-of-8, scored two points and committed nine turnovers against eight assists.
“The last few games, he wasn’t really in rhythm,” teammate Kristaps Porzingis said in classic understatement.
Ntilikina, all of 19 years old, was suspected of hitting the “rookie wall,” that mythical beast that has turned early-season studs into quivering lumps of first-year jelly. But at Barclays Center on Monday, Ntilikina took a different approach.