Point guard Frank Ntilikina, the New York Knicks’ No. 8 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, finally has a landing spot for the 2021-22 NBA season. According to NBA correspondent Marc Stein, Ntilikina is expected to sign a contract with the Dallas Mavericks before the training camp opens on September 28th.
Ntilikina became a free agent following the 2020-21 campaign, and the Knicks showed no interest in bringing him back. The 23-year-old guard was the third option at point guard at best for New York last season, seeing only 9.8 minutes of playing time on average and contributing with 2.7 points per contest.
The move to Dallas might be a chance for Ntilikina to resurrect his career as the Mavericks need point guard depth and could give him more playing time. It might also help that he will be welcomed by familiar faces in Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr., who were once his Knicks teammates.
The Knicks had high hopes for Frank Ntilikina early in his career, but the Frenchman failed to adapt to NBA basketball in the way the franchise expected. While Ntilikina is a reliable perimeter defender, his contributions on the offense have been non-existent. During his four years in the league, he shot an abysmal 36.6 percent from the floor while averaging just 5.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
