
3. Raw talent he still brings to the table
It’s not just the explosiveness and promise that Frank Ntilikina displayed during his time playing in Europe before coming over to the United States in the 2017 NBA Draft. His physical tools are rare at point guard, and something that some team will take a on flier on and try to take to the next level.
However, there is a lot of risk with Ntilikina that the Bulls have to be wary of. At 6-foot-5 and with a seven-foot wingspan, Ntilikina has rare tools that somehow faded in effectiveness during his time with the Knicks so far. The versatile ability to defend three or four different positions on the floor is still very valuable.
The Knicks are one of the most dysfunctional NBA franchises for the past few years, so stunting Ntilikina’s development isn’t too much of a surprise. He wasn’t put in the right defensive situations, and has been often injured this season. Nonetheless, Ntilikina is still posting a defensive rating around 115 in his two-year career.
We need to see a larger body of work from Ntilikina before the ruling is out on if he is truly a huge NBA Draft bust. Two down years with the Knicks just isn’t enough to give up on a former prospect this young and with this much potential. Ntilikina does need to improve his shooting, but that should be able to come with time.