On the night before the NBA cut last season short, halting play because of COVID-19, Frank Ntilikina had the sort of night that the Knicks and much of the fan base had been waiting three seasons to see.
He scored a career-best 20 points, shot 3-for-5 from three-point range and handed out 10 assists in a 122-115 loss in Washington. But by the time Ntilikina faced the Hawks the next night in Atlanta, fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert had tested positive. Any hope Ntilikina had of finishing with an eye-opening stretch was over.
So now, entering the final season of his contract, he finds himself in a familiar place, looking to acclimate to and impress a new head coach, his fourth in four seasons, and trying to tune out the trade rumors that already are rising through the NBA.