6 Things the Knicks Should Know About Frank Ntilikina

True to twisted form, the New York Knicks say hello to a young talent well-suited to running the triangle offense just as they say may say goodbye to the offense altogether. Never fear, though, Knicks fans. New York's top draft pick is certainly more than one of Phil Jackson's fanboi favorite. His appeal goes beyond being a hardworking, highly coachable, share-first European "lead guard."

Now that Jeff Hornacek says he will be running a system that fits the players' skills (instead of forcing them to wear a system whether it looks good or not), how does the new boy fit in? What should Ntilikina's new coach and teammates know about the draft's top European prospect, now that he is officially in the States and wearing blue and orange?

His Name Is Not Ntilinka

The Knicks suffered their first post-Phil embarrassment this week when they welcomed their newest member with a misspelled practice jersey.

Whoever is in charge of Summer League practice jersey copy editing, sadly, swapped "K-I-N-A" for "N-K-A", spelling N-T-I-L-I-N-K-A instead of the correct N-T-I-L-I-K-I-N-A.

We can empathize with such challenges and offer some encouragement. You managed to learn the spelling of Antetokounmpo, Knicks staff. You can learn this.

He Should Be Ron Baker's Best Friend

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Ntilikina and Ron Baker have potential to be a powerfully frustrating backcourt duo off the bench.

They are both combo guards who can play either position interchangeably, although Baker has more of a scorer's mentality than Ntilikina. They're both extremely tough defenders.

Baker is scrappy; Ntilikina is gifted. Baker is fiery, while Ntilikina is calm. They're both smart, energetic, hardworking players. As a duo—Ntilikina infused by a bit of Baker's spunk, and Baker sharpened by some of Ntilikina's skills—they might just shut down the perimeter games of some of the best three-pointing teams in the league.

Offensively, their playmaking abilities would match well. Baker's fast, hurly-burly cuts to the bucket would be aided by Ntilikina's slick feeds, and Baker's nifty passing could help create scoring opportunities for Ntilikina, which he thus far does not excel at creating for himself.

Trust His Help, but Not His Shot

PHILIPPE DESMAZES/Getty Images

If the Knicks are up by one, the opponents have possession, the clock is running out and the game is on the line, Ntilikina is your go-to guy.

His defensive instincts are evident not only when he foils fast breaks with crushing chase-down blocks, but with his rolling, jabbing, eyes-on-the-back-of-his-head help defense. He's unlikely to be the sheepish rookie taking heat from teammates on the sideline for blowing his defensive assignment after an opponent just added to his highlight reel. If you need a crucial inbounds pass denied, he's a good option.

If the Knicks are down by one, they have possession, the clock is running out and the game is on the line, Ntilikina is not your go-to guy.

Ntilikina is a good shooter, but not a great scorer. His overall shooting efficiency in the French pro league this season was solid—48.5 percent from the field, 43.1 percent from downtown—but he only averaged 5.2 points in 18 minutes per game. In his most recent performances—13 games in the Pro-A playoffs—he averaged 5.8 points in 21.5 minutes per game on 40.5 percent shooting from the field and 25.0 percent from behind the arc.

If the Knicks need a buzzer-beater, don't look for him to take the big shot.

He Should Try Defending the Best Player

Even with his impressive 7'0" wingspan, a slender 6'5" guard is not a good matchup against a center. However, it's worth giving the rook a go at opposing small forwards, perhaps bringing him in to play the 2 spot alongside the Knicks' next point guard du jour.

When asked by MSG Networks' Rebecca Haarlow what he would bring to the team, Ntilikina's first answer was defense. He also indicated he was equally happy playing the 1 or 2 guard and just wanted to be where he was most useful.

That might not always be at the point despite his pass-first attitude. If the Knicks do not re-sign Justin Holiday—arguably their best backcourt defender—in free agency, they'll need Ntilikina's skills even more.

Don't Expect a Vocal Leader

NBA Photos/Getty Images

One error in logic commonly practiced by basketball observers everywhere is that "he/she who has the most skills is the 'leader.'" Star players with Hall of Fame-level basketball talents are for some reason expected to have—and to require—star-quality leadership abilities as well, and they must be the sort of leadership abilities that are always on display for all of us to witness. These expectations are particularly high for talented point guards.

This is largely foolishness. Hopefully the Knicks do not have such ludicrous notions because Ntilikina is unlikely to meet those expectations.

The New York Times' Andrew Keh detailed this well earlier this year, describing Ntilikina as "quiet by nature." His Strasbourg teammate Romeo Travis affectionately said Ntilikina may be "overly coachable," and head coach Vincent Collet said he urges Ntilikina to let his fire out.

This does not mean Ntilikina cannot lead by example or will not grow into a vocal leader. However, for now, expecting that he will ever be the inspiring voice every locker room needs would be expecting too much.

He Might Not Know What Team He's Playing for

The day before the draft, Ntilikina said to reporters about potentially playing for the Knicks, "The organization is, like, very good, so it would be great."

Clearly, he was confused. We could, perhaps, blame jet lag.

Ntilikina is also very fond of the phrase "trust the process." He said it twice in the interview above with Rebecca Haarlow. It comes up again and again.

Trust and processes are good things, and the phrase itself is innocuous. However, if Ntilikina has been hornswoggled into believing he's joined the Philadelphia 76ers or any other team that operates from an actual plan, vision or process, it will a very sad day indeed for him when he realizes he works for James Dolan.

In the meantime, the Knicks should capitalize upon this and keep Ntilikina blissfully unaware as long as possible. Or better yet, create the kind of organization that he believes it to be.