Sixteen NBA Draft Profile: Frank Ntilikina
The Frenchman is the best player nobody’s talking about.
This freshman talent in this year’s draft class is borderline insane. After a handful of underwhelming and disappointing rookie campaigns, 2017 could give way to the most gifted crop of players entering the league since the famed 2003 class. You know, the one that brought us the fairly talented Banana Boat crew.
Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball’s contrasting styles and awe-inducing play at the point guard spot has headlined the group, while other elite talents among the likes of Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum would be in the first pick conversation during some years. The collegiate talent has electrified, and thus the vast majority of draft coverage has been skewed towards just how special those players could end up being — and deservedly so.
What that fails to acknoweldge, though, is the international crop. In a season that might be a bit down compared to years prior, it’s understandable for such an overtly talented group of American players to overshadow a less-exciting group of guys whose games take place while most of us are asleep.
Casual fans don’t scour the internet for international footage, and it’s much tougher to come by the real-time emotional sway that some people get from watching Malik Monk throw together 47 points live.
That lack of exposure, however, shouldn’t keep fans from recognizing this year’s top international recruit as one of the draft’s better two-way prospects. Frank Ntilikina is the best player nobody’s talking about.
At 6'5'’ with a near-7-foot wingspan, the physical tools are obvious. The 18-year-old boasts impressive length for the one spot, while also providing one of the draft’s more well-rounded offensive arsenals. He couples a smart, calculated approach on the offensive end with elite defensive upside as well, while ranking as the second youngest player in DraftExpress’ top 60.
Ntilikina is a truly interesting case. He’s more polished than the vast majority of players his age, yet has some legitimate growth left before maximizing his production at the next level. His offensive intelligence and elite defensive potential is, in some ways, offset by a lack of aggression that has hindered him in the past, meaning he’ll have to grow into a featured role. He’s developing, but in a sense, already developed. It’s a case of maximizing the skill set that’s already there, not revolutionizing his arsenal.
That skill set alone, though, is one that lottery teams should be itching to get their hands on.
Offensively, Ntilikina’s size is going to afford him some significant advantages in manipulating opposing defenses, as his length gives him the ability to create space and get off his jumper with ease against smaller defenders while finding — and exploiting — passing angles that might not be present for smaller guards.
He hasn’t necessarily mastered his off-the-dribble arsenal yet, but he showcased flashes of it during the European U18 championships — a tournament in which Ntilikina inevitably won MVP, despite battling illness early on. He’s already a reliable spot-up option on the perimeter, with nifty moves off the bounce likely signaling the next phase of his development.
While this isn’t the most awe-inspiring of crossovers (how on earth did the defender fall that hard for it?), that nice hesitation move and ensuing elevation on the jumper is a promising sign. His shot could use a quicker release, but it’s far from chronically flawed and should iron itself out without much long-term concern.
His spot-up shooting is already a worthwhile investment, allowing him to work off the ball when needed. He has operated as a two-guard throughout the season with Strasbourg, allowing him to add to his scoring arsenal while showcasing the versatility he could provide to an NBA offense down the line.
He has the potential to occupy a handful of differnt roles while fitting into a plethora of different rotational preferences. Here he is in the U18s, where he displays strong off-ball instincts and finds space in the corner for the spot-up jumper.
He can help a team go small by playing alongside another point guard, while he remains just as capable of stepping in and running an offense himself. The only other players in this year’s lottery discussion whose skill set could be molded into both guards spots boils down to only a pair: Markelle Fultz and Malik Monk. Fultz is the undisputed top prospect, while Monk doesn’t have nearly the length advantage that Ntilikina boasts.
That’s a bonus that teams will have to weigh come June.
Ntilikina’s offensive game has blossomed as a result of that multidiminsional role as well. That aforementioned lack of aggression that has plagued him in the past is becoming less and less of an issue, as Strasbourg has been able to — in a small sample size — feed him the ball as a scorer more so than a playmaker. He’s not creating his own offense as much as some of his collegiate counterparts, but he has shown promise as a role player from day one, finding his spots on the floor and executing at a high level in a several different facets of the game.
What pushes him into the midst of the lottery conversation, though, is what he’s capable of doing on the other side of the ball. Ntilikina’s lengthy arms allow him to bottle up opposing guards on the perimeter, giving him the lateral coverage and size advantage needed to contain both guard spots on a consistent basis.
While he’ll likely need to spend time bulking up his frame a bit upon entering the States, Ntilikina’s energy and footwork on that side of the ball is enough to insure some level of success early on. He’s a constant presence in the passing lanes, while his length and underappreciated athleticism allows him to make the occasional highlight block — whether off a recovery or in transition.
He has a knack for staying in people’s grill, and that pestering presence is what characterizes some of the league’s most effective defenders down the stretch of games. He forces players out of their rythym, and that’s always a sizable advantage.
Ntilikina’s ceiling may not be as high as the likes of Dennis Smith Jr. or Markelle Fultz, but his game does have a number of reliable, translatable aspects that should allow him to fill a sizable role at the next level. He’s the type of two-way player that can help support a top flight defensive unit, while his offensive arsenal should develop into one of the more measured, balanced attacks in this year’s class. He’s going to check a lot of boxes on both ends of the floor, which is difficult to pass up on in the mid-to-late tier of the lottery.
NBA TEAM FITS:
1. Dallas Mavericks
Yogi Ferrell’s emergence this season isn’t enough to ensure him a starting role moving forward, meaning Ntilikina should step in and immediately take the reigns for a rebuilding Mavericks squad. With Dirk Nowitzki returning for his 20th campaign, the Frenchman would have a valuable mentor from the foreign ranks to work alongside, while Dallas’ core is beginning to shape up in impressive fashion on the defensive side of the ball.
Nerlens Noel has already established himself as the Mavericks’ defensive anchor, providing a quick, versatile rim protector who can stretch out to the perimeter without becoming a liability. Harrison Barnes has proven his vaiability as a defender at either forward spot, while Wesley Matthews’ impressive capability as a lockdown defender is isolation should earn him some legitimate All-Defense love. Adding Ntilikina to that mix doubles down on what could develop into one of the league’s most effective defensive combinations, which — under the all-empowering guidance of Rick Carlisle — is a promising starting point for a Mavericks team with a strangely (and unexpectedly) positive sense of direction.
Offensively, his game fits the mold of what Dallas’ offense needs. He can reap the benefits of the Dirk Nowitzki pick-and-pop threat for his first year (or two), while Nerlens Noel’s increasing proficiency as a roll man should set up plenty of opportunities for Ntilikina to get into the flow of the offense. He’d also be able to work off the ball some as a spot-up shooter a la Matthews, giving Harrison Barnes space to operate in isolation while cherrypicking the resulting looks from the perimeter. Carlisle is a coach who has proven himself to be uncannily adept in maximizing his players’ presence on the offensive side of the ball, and Ntilikina’s budding skill set should be a direct beneficiary of that.
It’s difficult to imagine a more ideal setting for Ntilikina’s development, as they’d be able to work him in a sizable role while still playing to his strengths — and avoiding any overexertion. They wouldn’t need him to step outside his comfort zone from day one, letting him mature into his role rather than being asked to provide the end-all, be-all for an offensive unit that isn’t tailored directly to his playmaking. Carlisle will figure out his most effective placements on offense, while Dallas’ increasingly-loaded defensive core would give Ntilikina some freedom to test the limits of his immediate prowess with some reassurance elsewhere in the rotation.
The Mavericks get their starting guard of the future, as well as somebody who addresses some fairly obvious needs. It’s a win-win scenario.
2. Sacramento Kings
The Kings are in an interesting spot, as their rotation was almost entirely gutted in lieu of a hectic trade deadline that shipped DeMarucs Cousins to New Orleans for proverbial pennies on the dollar. Last year’s 6th overall pick, Buddy Hield, now resides as their foremost cornerstone moving forward, while Willie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere are essentially competing for long term relevancy up front. Malachi Richardson showed flashes last season as well prior to his injury, but is far from a surefire asset. Outside of that, their roster’s future prospects are relatively barren.
That gives whomever they select in this year’s draft — where they’ll pick 8th and 10th — a chance to carve out a significant niche both in the immediate and extended future.
Ntilikina fits the mold of somebody they could be looking to grab in that mid-to-late stage of the lottery, adding what could be the final upper echelon point guard available in a lottery class brimming with talent at that position. Ntilikina would be afforded ample room to work through the kinks in his game, likely being handed the keys to the offense to run alongside Buddy Hield to and fro.
With Hield’s improvement as a pick-and-roll threat and occasional playmaker, Ntilikina would still have the opportunity to run through some actions freeing him up as a spot-up shooter, while also giving them a young-but-stable playmaker to help maintain the offense — assuming Darren Collison is out the door this summer. Ntilikina’s length and team-friendly approach is a nice compliment to Hield’s hefty scoring load on the perimeter, and gives David Joerger a stable partnership to contstruct his offense around moving forward.
Defensively, Ntilikina’s prowess as a multipositional defender gives Joerger — who’s a defensively-minded coach to begin with — some much-needed flexibility on the perimeter. They’ll be able to hide Hield on the oppositon’s weaker guard, while Richardson, whose 7-foot wingspan could allow him to play the three, gives them even more mobility in what could become a switch-heavy scheme. There’s also a chance they add Bogdan Bogdanovic to an already entertaining mixture on the perimeter, which is another wrinkle to factor in.
This is a Kings team that could benefit massively from Ntilikina’s calming presence on the perimeter. There’s no guarentee that the Frenchman is the well-oiled playmaker he projects as on day one, but his game certainly checks the boxes as somebody Sacramento would like to have paired alongside their most recent acquisition.
3. Philadelphia 76ers
Considering the fact that Philadelphia possesses the fourth worst standing in the league, this is a bit of a stretch from a probability standpoint. Assuming the current alignment holds true, they’d likely have the first pickings from the non-Fultz/Ball/Jackson tier of this year’s class, meaning Ntilikina — despite being a legitimate top 5 talent during some years — likely falls to the periphery of their radar.
The fit, though, is too good to look past.
Ntilikina’s role in Philadelphia’s rotation would be highly unique, but also highly conducive to the way his game is shaped. Brett Brown has remained adament about slotting Ben Simmons at point guard come next season, yet alos notes that the 6'10'’ forward is likely to guard whoever guards him when switching to the other end — and Isaiah Thomas isn’t guarding Ben Simmons. That means that Ntilikina would likely be slotted in an off-ball role that, in some ways, mimics his current setting in Strasbourg while switching onto point guards defensively.
It’s also unlikely that we see Simmons taking on the entirety of the playmaking load next season, meaning another capable creator of Ntilikina’s ilk could be crucial to maintaining offensive efficiency — especially early on. Ntilikina has the shooting touch needed to run around the Sixers’ maze of off-ball screens and dribble handoffs to free up space as a scorer, while still retaining the ability to facilitate the ball when Simmons can’t.
The most effective offenses in the league often contain more than one viable playmaker, which is precisely what Ntilikina brings to the rotation. He’s a capable scorer who also passes the ball at will — meaning we could see a Sixers squad that embraces ball movement even more so than they currently do should such a selection pan out.
The defensive optics of Ntilikina’s fit are also highly intriguing. This is a Sixers team that already possesses one of the best defensive big men in the league in Joel Embiid, while Robert Covington blossomed into a top flight wing defender over the course of the campaign. When combining Ntilikina’s versatility with that of Simmons, as well as pieces like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Justin Anderson, there’s a very real chance for Brown to cultivate one of the league’s more effective defensive units.
Ntilikina gives the Sixers some impressive two-way potential while holding true to Brett Brown’s likely vision for a Simmons-centric rotation come next season. He’d be a great — albeit, unlikely — addition from the standpoint of team fit alone.
