June 4, 2017
In the first of his deep dives into European prospects ahead of the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft, Sam Chadwick profiles French point guard Frank Ntilikina
Vital Stats:
Position: Point Guard
Height: 1.96m
Date of birth: 28/July/1998
Country: France
Position: Point Guard
Height: 1.96m
Date of birth: 28/July/1998
Country: France
Current club: Strasbourg
Strengths
A 6ft 5′ point guard with tremendous wing-span, speed, athleticism and the ability to run the point at 18 years old doesn’t come around often, the youngest of a stacked bunch of PG prospects going into this year’s draft (Monk, Ball, Fultz, Fox & Smith). Unlike most prospects Frank is still playing right now. Competing in the French Pro A Semi-Finals.
Frank has the ability to use his length on defence to stifle offensive players into mistakes, pick-off passes and the speed to run the floor and finish off the break. His 3.2 steals per game in the U18 European Championship don’t necessarily translate across to the men’s game (0.9 per game in the Champions League) but the length, quick hands and energy he brings on the defensive side should make him a good if not great defender in future.
Offensively his shooting has been solid outside the 3pt line, connecting on 42% in the Pro A and 40% in the Champions League.
Weaknesses
Not many weaknesses stand out for the 18 year old French prospect, although his turnover numbers in the U18 Euro’s (3.3 per game) raise eyebrows, his numbers at a senior level aren’t near those numbers averaging 1.5 in Champions League and 0.9 in the French Pro A. The fact he went on to win the U18 Championship MVP how that his numbers across the board make up for a turnovers across the tournament.
I would prefer a point guard to shoot a little better from the free throw line where Frank averaged just 61% in the Pro A but if he can hit 40% from three, I am sure his FT% will improve significantly once he makes the move to the NBA.
Mock Forecasts
CBS Sports, Draft Express, NBA Draft.net and Scott Howard-Cooper of the NBA official website all have mocks with Frank at number 9 going to the Dallas Maverick’s, a team who need more depth at guard but seem set with Yogi Ferrell and Seth Curry after strong performances from both at the end of last season, however the addition of Frank gives them an upgrade over both of these guys, especially in the size department as Yogi is one of the smaller PG’s in the league.
Bleacher Report has New York as a destination for Frank and that seems like a decent fit, however, with the pressure around performing in NYC will Phil Jackson want to risk draft picks on European players 2 years in a row? we know Porzingis has worked well but does Frank’s risks outweigh his rewards, we will have to see which team takes the risk on June 22nd.
BiE Analysis
The mock picks between 8th and 9th work for me, New York needs a point guard! The Knicks currently have 1 PG under contract for 2017-18.. his name is Chasson Randle and he played 12 minutes per game in 18 games for the Knicks last year, his potential fit with Porzingis as a young European prospect with tremendous potential could see him heading to the Big Apple.
Dallas as an alternative destination also looks promising, as previously mentioned he has a bigger upside than both Seth and Yogi Ferrell and although I like Yogi as a player I do not think he is a starting PG for a contending team, Frank in a couple of years may be that player.
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This post was published on June 4, 2017
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