On Friday, the Knicks issued their update on Kristaps Porzingis’ progress in his rehabilitation, a process that can be measured in medical exams and benchmarks. The tougher progress to measure is in the rest of the team — and in particular the lottery pick who followed Porzingis to the Knicks, Frank Ntilikina.
Porzingis is working his way back from a physical ailment, but in Ntilikina’s case, the Knicks see a problem that is based not on a sore knee or a balky ankle but in the second-year guard’s mindset. Knicks president Steve Mills spoke of a lack of confidence on the offensive side of the ball, a point that coach David Fizdale also has commented on in recent days.