Frank Ntilikina was Phil Jackson’s final stab to the stomach of the New York Knicks organization when he was selected eighth in the 2017 NBA draft over current Knicks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. Ntilikina immediately dealt with injury woes which made him unavailable for summer league during the 2017 offseason.
However, Ntilikina eventually cracked Jeff Hornacek’s rotation once he got healthy early that season as the backup point guard for Jarrett Jack. The former SIG Strasbourg guard quickly began showing his strengths on the defensive end and began winning the hearts of Knick fans who have a serious thirst for players with a defense-first mindset.