I actually like this pick more after watching Frank talk.
He's really a smart kid who understands what he has to do to keep getting better.
Seems all business, not about the name at the back, but the team's name infront of the jersey.
He's so committed to this that he will not leave his former team to attend works out or even truly enjoy the draft process just so he can try to get them a championship. Think about it. Who really outside of France cares if he wins that championship? He is just doing the right thing.
Then you factor the wingspan, the defensive potential, the fact that he unlike DSJ or Monk has no significant weakness, I like this kid a ton already.
Here's what I think. Media isn't seeing this.
Monk is explosive, has great shooting skill. But he has a major weakness. One is his defensive position and the other is whether he can actually play D at the NBA level. Guys like him have wound up coming off the bench.
DSJ is explosive at driving, drive and dish PG. Attack guard. GREAT handles. We had that last year with Rose. What does that do for Willy/KP and us? What about the knee injuries and the lack of defense. We saw last year what a good scoring explosive driving PG who plays no defense and has knee injuries looks like next to Porzingis.
I think the media like usual is underestimating how much research the Knicks did on this. While Monk and Smith are more explosive at what they do, their strengths are stronger than any strength Nti could ever have on offense, I also think their weaknesses could be glaring so glaring that I think both of them could wind up being lesser players than Ntilikina down the road.
I was open with taking Monk or DSJ over Nti, But it's not like DSJ or Monk don't have significant weaknesses in their game. Lets see how it goes. Maybe this was a mistake, maybe it was great move. Time will tell. But like usual media all over Phil and NY, when they probably don't even know how Ntilikina could fit better with KP/Willy than DSJ or Monk.
