So a Frenchman, Latvian & Spaniard Walk Into Bar, Melo Takes All The Shots Offseason NYK Thread

[Derek Lee]

Got this from the realgm eurobasket thread:

How KP's stats stack up against everyone in Eurobasket 2017:

3rd in PPG
3rd in total points
10th in FG%
7th in 2 pt FG%
45th in 3 pt%
7th in FT%
21st in RPG
1st in Blocks
tied for 179th in APG
tied for 131st in STLPG Surprisingly lower than both Kuz and Billy
tied for 16th in fouls
41st in Minutes per game
3rd in Efficiency

The rebounding #s are concerning.

 

[storyteller]

The rebounding #s are concerning.

I think Willy's presence will help a lot there. KP had the biggest bodies on him every night, Willy will make that harder to do. I did think some of KP's habits from last season showed up though, not always getting good positioning and picking up loose ball fouls as a result. But he did also box out more and he handled contact better in all situations, board battles included though it stood out the most in his finishing.

 

[K-Apps]

Here is the new radio voice of the Knicks:


Here him calling the Liberty if you want to get a feel for how he calls a game:

 

[Derek Lee]

I think Willy's presence will help a lot there. KP had the biggest bodies on him every night, Willy will make that harder to do. I did think some of KP's habits from last season showed up though, not always getting good positioning and picking up loose ball fouls as a result. But he did also box out more and he handled contact better in all situations, board battles included though it stood out the most in his finishing.

He's not the best at tracking down the ball and grabbing contested rebounds, but yeah, I feel you. The team's REB% and his individual rebounding have been bad whenever he plays center though. Second chances points allowed killed them last year

 

[Ironman]

He's not the best at tracking down the ball and grabbing contested rebounds, but yeah, I feel you. The team's REB% and his individual rebounding have been bad whenever he plays center though. Second chances points allowed killed them last year

Part of this was fatigue as he'd constantly be forced to close out on guards because ours couldn't keep anyone in front of them.

 

[ISO]

B-Easy in NY with an old friend

 

[storyteller]

Clips not included, but I'm glad Frank's gettin' some love here with a realistic view on him. How far he goes as a rookie will come down to how his handles develops early, but he seems like a guarantee to contribute by being a defender even if he's an off-ball guard early on.

The Dark-Horse Rookie of the Year Candidates to Keep an Eye On

You’d think a rookie drafted in the lottery by a franchise in one of the world’s biggest cities would be receiving Rookie of the Year hype, but that’s not the case with Ntilikina. He’s unlisted on most betting sites and, at best, has 50-1 odds to win. He didn’t even collect a single vote for any category in NBA.com’s annual rookie survey.

Phil Jackson was (finally!) fired soon after drafting the French guard eighth overall to be the point guard for his precious triangle offense, and then Ntilikina hurt his knee during his first practice with the team and missed all of summer league. Dennis Smith Jr. and Donovan Mitchell, meanwhile, became summer sensations for the Mavs and Jazz, respectively. Malik Monk, his agent, and his family all thought Monk would be drafted by the Knicks. John Calipari, his coach at Kentucky, also liked the fit: “I wanted Malik in New York because I thought he would light it up,” Calipari said to ESPN on draft night. “It would be back on. But they must’ve liked the French kid. I’ve not seen him enough. But I hear he’s really good.”

Calipari’s quote sums up the public opinion on Ntilikina (for the record, we here at The Ringer call him Frankie Nicotine or Frankie Smokes. Frank works, too) these days. But Coach Cal did hear right: Frank is “really good.”

The hurdle for young players trying to earn minutes is defense. Though just 19, Frank comes ready-made to defend, with a strong, muscular 6-foot-5 frame and a long wingspan.

Ntilikina doesn’t take his athletic gifts for granted; he plays with a particular intensity and focus not often found in players his age. He puts his body on the line and has a knack for making winning plays by diving for loose balls, jumping passing lanes, or stepping up to take a charge.

There are no guarantees that Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek will hand Ntilikina the starting point guard spot, but he should eventually earn it over Ron Baker. (Ron! Freaking! Baker! No wonder Melo pines to play with Chris Paul and James Harden even more than Kristaps Porzingis thirsts for Instagram models.) There’s no doubt Ntilikina has vision. His height creates passing angles that other point guards can only dream of. The ingredients are there for Frank to be a hard-to-stop pick-and-roll playmaker. He already can make slick passes like this:

It remains to be seen how long Carmelo Anthony will remain in New York, but for as long as he does, the ball will spend a lot of time out of Frank’s hands. Both Melo and Tim Hardaway Jr. should get a lot of touches, which should help Ntilikina get buckets, considering he shot 38 percent from 3 last season, per DraftExpress.

Ntilikina needs reps. He’s an unreliable shooter off the dribble, and, though his passing vision is sweet, highlights can be terribly misleading. The more you watched Frank play last season for Strasbourg, the more you’d find mishaps where even slight pressure forced him into bad decisions, like he was channeling Mark Sanchez.

There was a narrative prior to the draft that Frank isn’t a true point guard because his handle is loose and he occasionally sails the ball out of the back of the end zone. That’s true today. But it doesn’t mean it will be two years from now or five years from now. With good coaching (which he will hopefully receive in New York) and a good attitude and diligent work ethic (which I’m told he has) his technical skills can be improved.


New York’s focus should be on player development, which means Ntilikina should receive heavy minutes and usage. Even if his efficiency is low, the volume should thrust his name into the Rookie of the Year debate.

 

[H4voc]

 

[qnsfinest]

I get fired up every time our page is re-upped. I'm so hyped for the season to start, can't wait to see our young players in action. If we're playing with the intentions of not tanking (not arguing about tanking or not), if our intention is to play and win i can easily see this team winning 35-40 games and getting the 7th or 8th seed especially with teams like pacers, bulls and hawks possibly out of the playoff picture.

 

[I.V.]

Can you rephrase this? Not entirely sure on the sentiment here.

I think what he means is Doncic is a lock for top 5 but not a lock for anything higher because there are players like Porter and Bagley competing for the top spots. Doncic is extremely talented but looking at the prospect list, it's very likely one or more players will show more promise thanks to having similar upside in the skills department with more athleticism to boot.

Correct. I was using @DonKnock's quote to make my point, which is: Doncic is an incredible talent, and I think he's a star, but there are guys who are ALSO offensively advanced, like Porter - and ALSO have plus athleticism... so while Doncic has the best competitive resume, he will likely NOT be the first pick in the draft.

I was agreeing with Don and trying to tip my cap at him. Sorry about the sloppy writing.

 

[DonKnock]

Correct. I was using @DonKnock's quote to make my point, which is: Doncic is an incredible talent, and I think he's a star, but there are guys who are ALSO offensively advanced, like Porter - and ALSO have plus athleticism... so while Doncic has the best competitive resume, he will likely NOT be the first pick in the draft.

I was agreeing with Don and trying to tip my cap at him. Sorry about the sloppy writing.

Gotcha gotcha. Agree entirely then.

 

[Kitsch]

 

[Derek Lee]

 

[storyteller]

Good locker room presence, leaves plenty of room for Frank to jump to a starting spot as soon as he's ready soon...Ron Baker down to 4th on the depth chart. Edit: Just saw he's a non-guaranteed (the knee gotta hold up) which I like. Jack in the locker room is more important than Jack on the court this season tbh.

 

[ISO]

Baker to the G-League