Frank drove a little more than he did the last time. One drive was very telling. As Frank elevated, he drew some very light contact from his defender. Frank reacted, like he was about to get hit by a truck. Confidence is a big player in why Frank isnt comfortable going to the rim, a lot more than skill. Thats a good thing actually, if Frank keeps working on getting through his anxiousness.
There was one move he made tonight, where Frank drove to the rim, and instead of shooting (which he should have done) spun quickly and tried to dish it to a teammate. While Frank made the wrong decision, the athleticism that allowed him to change directions so quickly suprised me a little, because I hadnt seen it on any level before. It was a small thing, but a big thing as well.
If Frank could channel more of that athleticism into his offense, might end up developing faster than
most of us expect. Attitude is everything in this situation IMO.
NardDogNation wrote:To be honest, I never understood the hypemachine that came with DSJr. I think he'll be a good player pn the level of an Eric Bledsoe-type but he is certainly not the kind of player that will be the best player on a contender. And if he's not the best player on a contender, will you want him to have the usage-rate that his skillset will necessitate?
That's where the Steve Francis comparisons hit the most. DSJ has a tendency to play around with the ball before making his move. He has to learn to make quicker moves. He also has a lot to learn about being a point guard.
GustavBahler wrote:Frank drove a little more than he did the last time. One drive was very telling. As Frank elevated, he drew some very light contact from his defender. Frank reacted, like he was about to get hit by a truck. Confidence is a big player in why Frank isnt comfortable going to the rim, a lot more than skill. Thats a good thing actually, if Frank keeps working on getting through his anxiousness.
Frank is similar to Gianni's in that he has long strides and cover ground quickly. But he's still physically underdeveloped. More strength training in the off-season will do the trick. It wasn't that long ago when you could make KP fall by looking at him. Now he's gotten to the point where you at least need a forearm to push him down. You'll need at least two forearms to push him down.
BigDaddyG wrote:GustavBahler wrote:Frank drove a little more than he did the last time. One drive was very telling. As Frank elevated, he drew some very light contact from his defender. Frank reacted, like he was about to get hit by a truck. Confidence is a big player in why Frank isnt comfortable going to the rim, a lot more than skill. Thats a good thing actually, if Frank keeps working on getting through his anxiousness.
Frank is similar to Gianni's in that he has long strides and cover ground quickly. But he's still physically underdeveloped. More strength training in the off-season will do the trick. It wasn't that long ago when you could make KP fall by looking at him. Now he's gotten to the point where you at least need a forearm to push him down. You'll need at least two forearms to push him down.
Conditioning should definitely help in that dept. Pretty sure Frank wants to come back not feeling like a kid among men.
GustavBahler wrote:Frank drove a little more than he did the last time. One drive was very telling. As Frank elevated, he drew some very light contact from his defender. Frank reacted, like he was about to get hit by a truck. Confidence is a big player in why Frank isnt comfortable going to the rim, a lot more than skill. Thats a good thing actually, if Frank keeps working on getting through his anxiousness. There was one move he made tonight, where Frank drove to the rim, and instead of shooting (which he should have done) spun quickly and tried to dish it to a teammate. While Frank made the wrong decision, the athleticism that allowed him to change directions so quickly suprised me a little, because I hadnt seen it on any level before. It was a small thing, but a big thing as well.
If Frank could channel more of that athleticism into his offense, might end up developing faster than
most of us expect. Attitude is everything in this situation IMO.
And that was the biggest question mark. Was he to slow physically or is it hesitation. If he was just to slow physically to keep up with players then that would be one thing. But he has shown the ability to change gears offensively. And he has shown the ability to recover when beat defensively. So as long as he just isn't physically incapable of keeping up. Everything else can be developed.
Vs Orlando he also posted up a player and hit a turn around fade. He has been showing new stuff here and there. He has potential man just needs to hone it and figure out how to bring it consistently.
Rookies learn but the have to process it from skill to instinct.
Thus there is hesitation. His defense is good, he is stealing and deflecting.
Dotson is just out there and not looking to shoot. But, he is acclimating.
Frank gets the ball stripped when he penetrates in traffic. He’ll learn to feel his way thru it.
Or not.
Fun to see the rook learning. Not always pretty!
Nalod wrote:Rookies learn but the have to process it from skill to instinct.
Thus there is hesitation. His defense is good, he is stealing and deflecting.
Dotson is just out there and not looking to shoot. But, he is acclimating.
Frank gets the ball stripped when he penetrates in traffic. He’ll learn to feel his way thru it.
Or not.
Fun to see the rook learning. Not always pretty!
100
This might have been the best all around game Ive seen from Frank. I believe he is seeing how getting to the rim not only makes it easier on himself, but his teammates as well. Was impressed after the miserable start, how Frank subbed in (after Hornacek sat the starters en masse) and helped right the ship.
GustavBahler wrote:This might have been the best all around game Ive seen from Frank. I believe he is seeing how getting to the rim not only makes it easier on himself, but his teammates as well. Was impressed after the miserable start, how Frank subbed in (after Hornacek sat the starters en masse) and helped right the ship.
The elite players play in the paint...once Frank gets the confidence to drive and does it consistantly, the game will open up for him. Hope this continues...
GustavBahler wrote:This might have been the best all around game Ive seen from Frank. I believe he is seeing how getting to the rim not only makes it easier on himself, but his teammates as well. Was impressed after the miserable start, how Frank subbed in (after Hornacek sat the starters en masse) and helped right the ship.
Frank was a plus 14 tonight with 3 more steals. He's going to be special.
Imagine the day when the knicks draft a kid and actually groom him for the future. A player who carried no starphuch but potential. Imagine a day when fans are asked to stretch their imagination and think beyond 25 games before labeling his career trajectory?
A HINT: Look for special plays that are completed. The constancy grows but if you see bits and pieces of brilliance from time to time then you are seeing the potential.
I have seen enough to be hopeful.
Can we please just close this thread and start one called the Frank Ntilikina appreciation thread lol. Dude is developing his mojo. 5 steps forward, 2 steps back, 5 steps forward again and so on.
the frank doubters have exposed themselves, and they will be dealt with accordingly.
anrst wrote:the frank doubters have exposed themselves, and they will be dealt with accordingly.
sounds kinda darth vader'ish.
Cartman718 wrote:anrst wrote:the frank doubters have exposed themselves, and they will be dealt with accordingly.
sounds kinda darth vader'ish.
I thought more like Rick Grimes.
Knicks fans were griping about Frank's injuries yet we haven't heard a peep about DSJr has now missed more games this season than Frank.
Mitchell with another show, the lad has perenial all-star written all over him. Goes on to show nothing is set in stone with drafts picks, personality is more important than raw physical ability and on that respect Frank has everything going for him. It's probably going to take him longer than Mitchell but I feel he's going to improve to stardom in his own quiet way. Right now he's focused on learning the pace, doing what the coach tells him to, not being a liability for the team. Defense is the basement of his game and he's building on it, he'll add pieces and bits along the way. If his games against his peers at the Euro U18 are anything to go by, the lad could be relied upon to be a leader in offense and that's an indicator of what he may be able to do when he's fully grown and fully confident.
Welpee wrote:Knicks fans were griping about Frank's injuries yet we haven't heard a peep about DSJr has now missed more games this season than Frank.
Yes, but dunks and pointzz.
Last five games Frank's shooting 50 percent from three, 9 points, 1.6 steals and 3.5 assists a game in about 25 minutes. That's about 12 points/5 assists/2 steals in starter minutes (33 to 34 minutes). You got to love that as the second youngest guy in the league he is already showing starter ability. He hasn't shown number 1, 2 or 3 option ability, but two-way starter for sure. I'd take this guy over Marcus Smart, easily.
Juliano wrote:Mitchell with another show, the lad has perenial all-star written all over him. Goes on to show nothing is set in stone with drafts picks, personality is more important than raw physical ability and on that respect Frank has everything going for him. It's probably going to take him longer than Mitchell but I feel he's going to quietly improve to stardom in his own quiet way. Right now he's focused on learning the pace, doing what the coach tells him to, not being a liability for the team. Defense is the basement of his game and he's building on it, he'll add pieces and bits along the way. If his games against his peers at the Euro U18 are anything to go by, the lad could be relied upon to be a leader in offense and that's an indicator of what he may be able to do when he's fully grown and fully confident.
Mitchell looks great. He was one of the 4 guards I would have been good with in Frank/DS/Monk/Mitchell. I just hope we picked right. I am confident we did. No buyer's regret for me. Mitchell might be better than Frank. He's a really good scorer and defends well also.
Its funny though... because this just again shows how valuable Frank is. If we have a chance to draft a really good player like Mitchell in the draft, but say he's a bit short for SG as Mitchell is when you have Frank in the backcourt it doesnt matter. Frank is a guy can and will guard 3 spots.
I have seen enough from Frank to know we got the right guy, especially to build a defense around KP. If he takes longer he takes longer.
I was leaning with Monk/Frank/Mitchell/Kennard.
I wasn't a big fan of Fox or DSJ.
