When Jeff Hornacek talked about rolling with Frank Ntilikina for his career-high 37 minutes Friday and ending Emmanuel Mudiay’s evening after five min🌠utes, Hornacek didn’t reference making shots.
The Knicks coach hinted at a competitive fire Ntilikina brought, his bumping and grinding defense on Timberwolves stud shooting guard Andrew Wiggins (5-of-15 for 17🔴 points).
Now may be time 🎃for Hornacek to st♑ep up and give Ntilikina his first-ever start at point guard despite management’s wishes to give a long audition to Mudiay.
Ntilikina’s mediocre offensive stats are well-documented. He’s averaging just 5.8 points on 35.5 shooting. He hasn’t shown a burst to the basket to regularly create for himself or others🌳.
Some opposing coaches take a different angle,🎐𒐪 aware of the array of new defensive statistics that proliferate around the league. Hornacek has often defended Ntilikina’s defensive intangibles, saying recently after a scoreless outing he does other things in taking advantage of his 6-foot-5 size and 7-foot wingspan.
In fact, Ntilikina’s defensive rating shines. The Knicks give up 105.5 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court and 110 points per 100 possessions w🍃hen he’s not.
When matched up in certain games against the likes of John Wall, Jeff Teague, D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Smith Jr., he has held each to zero point🐻s and he contained Chris Paul to just two points.
“I don’t know all the stats, to be honest. But my mindset is going♏ on the court and giving everything at both ends and I know I can gℱive a lot on the defensive end,’’ Ntilikina said. “If you say I have good stats, I’m happy to try to get better stats at that.’’
Knicks management still acts as if it wond𒆙ers about Ntilikina’s future as a point guard, seeing him as much as an o🐓ff-the-ball guy. Hence the decision to sign Trey Burke in January and trade for Mudiay in February. Mudiay’s ragged start to his Knicks career does not makes the front office look good.
Despite💫 Ntilikina’s modest offensive numbers, assistant coaches voted the Frenchman into All-Star 🍨Weekend’s Rising Stars Challenge.
With nine games left, Hornacek is mulling what to✱ do on this three-game road t♐rip to Washington, Charlotte and Philadelphia.
It would seem logical for Ntilikina to start at least a few games at point gua🔜rd before his rookie season ꦛfinishes April 11 in Cleveland. They already know what they have in Burke — and it’s good stuff.
Hornacek benched Mudiay after five minutes Friday and never let him see the court again. Hornacek🦄 said he is u✅ncertain who will start Sunday in Washington.
Burke and Ntilikina started the second half against Minnesota together after jelling off the bench once the Knicks got of𝓡f to a poor start under Mudiay’s direction. Th💦e change ignited a 13-0 spree.
Ntilikin🐠a played a career-high 37 minutes, scoring 13 points with three assists and five rebounds.
“We were bringing a lot to the team, bringing good runs, so I think the coach decided to put us in the game a little more becau⛄se we were efficient,’’ Ntilikina sai༒d.
Hornacek can go three ways against Washington an🐭d don’t think president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry won’t have to approve his decision. He could go back♎ and start Mudiay for a 15th straight game. Hornacek also could continue with a Burke-Ntilikina pairing.
Or he could actually allow Ntilikina — for the first time — to run the sh𓄧ow from the get-go as starting point guard. Ntilikina has made three starts, but all have come at shooting guard alongside Mudiay.
Burke said this week he has “a desire’’ to start🐽. Ntilikina didn’t want to go that far Friday, but said over All-Star Weekend starting ෴was “a goal.’’
“The coach knows that it’s his job to do all that stuff,’’ Ntilikina said. “Us as players, our job is be ready to call us on the court when he pu𒊎ts us in the starting lineup.”
Was Ntilikina surp🌞rised to start the s꧙econd half Thursday?
“Not surprised. I was ready,” Ntilikina sai🐭d. “We knew we had💟 a good run and did a lot of good things in the first half. That’s his job to do that.”
Putting together a string of solid games has eluded Ntilikina, who scored his career-high last week against Charlotte, but was a no-show in Miami ♔on Wednesday before Friday𝄹’s solid effort.
“Of course as a young rookie, I’m trying to find that consistency and efficiency t꧒hroughout the season,’’ Ntilikina said. “Putting 🌃the work in every day will help me find it.”