When New York Knicks selected Frank Ntilikina with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, it was met with some skepticism. After all, high-flyer Dennis Smith Jr. was still on the board, and he projected to have a much higher ceiling than Ntilikina.
But the Knicks wanted defense, so they selected the Frenchman, expecting him to grow and improve with each game. He’d be more of a project than a finished product, and that was something the Knicks were willing to wait for.
And yet, two of the Knicks’ most recent transactions both seem to point to the idea that maybe the front office doesn’t believe in their lottery pick—so soon after having to justify the selection.