GREENBURGH, N.Y. — In a way, Frank Ntilikina is the future of the NBA, a 6-6 point guard with a 7-foot wingspan, able to not only serve as a distributor on offense, but to defend nearly every type of player on the floor.
But to earn a starting job this season, he finds himself contending with a throwback, a 6-1, 175-pound package of stutter steps and shifty moves in Trey Burke, a player who lives in the lane, creating midrange shots in a league that analytics tells you not to take.
For the 20-year-old Ntilikina, it is a test and one that he relishes and is likely more prepared for this time around.