4:00 p.m., December 22, 2017
To find a “Knicks name”, New York was able to show inspiration: The French Prince, Frankie Smokes, French Sinatra, Frank Nicotine… It’s just the honeymoon between Frank Ntilikina (1.96 m) and Big Apple keeps its promises. From the top of his 19 years, he already has responsibilities in this legendary NBA team (more than twenty minutes per game). And assumes them without deflating; LeBron James can talk about it, he who was physically challenged by the rookie. Two months after the start of the NBA season, the presence of the former Strasbourg is already obvious. This was not the case when the Knicks set their sights on him to make him the highest drafted Frenchman in history. A choice endorsed by legend Phil Jackson, even if the former boss of the franchise has never deigned to come to see him play. Why this bet, which divided the fans?
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For a player his age, his gaming intelligence was impressive
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The question makes Craig Robinson, Barack Obama’s brother-in-law, smile. Vice-president in charge of player development, he doesn’t bother to think about it and puts forward a most logical explanation: “In Princeton, when I was playing with Steve Mills [le président des Knicks], he was a kind of mini-Ntilikina with his long arms and his knowledge of the game. “Mills, in fact, smiles when someone tells him the story:” Yes, I was a very diligent player. I paid attention to the smallest details and made sure that everything fell into place, that my teammates were involved. And I saw those kinds of qualities in Frank. His coach told me that he had an extraordinary listening ability and could apply what he had been told on the pitch. For a player his age, his playing intelligence was impressive. “
A question to Michael Jordan
It was in 2014, during the Jordan Brand Classic, a gathering organized in Brooklyn with the best young Americans and foreigners, that Steve Mills heard about Frank Ntilikina for the first time. Without suspecting for a moment that their paths would cross. A simple question asked by the young Frenchman, then aged 16, will suffice to make him known to everyone. The Alsatian dares to question Michael Jordan, best player of all time. “What has been the key to your success?” He asks her. Mills three years later: “I only recently realized that it was Frank who asked this question.”
The management of the Knicks does not really look into the Ntilikina file until last year. “Our scouts had seen him play several times, said the New York president. They told me that we had to watch this youngster, that he was the type of full-back who could be exceptional for us.” Former player and agent, converted into a recruiter for the Knicks at the end of 2016, Senegalese Makhtar N’Diaye knows the leader inside out. He rewinds: “I got interested in him very early on because I intended to have him signed within my agency. I spent a lot of time in Strasbourg.” The only official French-speaking NBA representative, he quickly sympathizes with the family.
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I saw a student of the game
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Then general manager of the franchise, Mills watches Ntilikina play for the first time in December 2016, during the Euro U18 which smiles on France. “He tended to shift responsibility to other players. Then he became a real leader in the final against Lithuania. Seeing his confidence, I was able to make a projection on what he might do in the NBA. It was important that he was able to lead a team and make his teammates shine. We saw straight away that he was excellent at it. “
Intrigued, Mills decides to consult David Blatt, one of his former teammates at Princeton and a leading coaching authority in Europe. Which comforts him in his feelings. In the spring, it crosses the Atlantic, heading for Strasbourg. On the morning of May 2, he observed the prodigy, along with four other NBA franchises, all of whom came with an important staff. Ntilikina’s studious attitude leaves traces. “The coach [Vincent Collet] worked directly with him on his shot, his pass. Frank was not doing anything to show how he could attack the basket, which NBA teams love to see. He was just implementing what his coach wanted him to do. It impressed me. I saw a student of the game. I knew how his mom had raised him, I knew the background of his brothers [chirurgien et kiné] and the importance for him of becoming a great player. “
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Its style matches the identity of the city
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The Knicks are positioned in the same way as Dallas, Charlotte and Sacramento. In the middle of the Pro A final with Strasbourg, Ntilikina arrives for the draft in Brooklyn. He won over the entire Knicks staff with his fluency in English and his maturity. He is judged ready to conquer New York. “Frank gives off a serenity, doesn’t let anything get him, Mills breaths. I was confident. I know how New Yorkers think of basketball. His style of play in defense, his way of delivering the ball at the right time, to the good places: these are things the public appreciates here. Its style matches the identity of the city. “
Ntilikina is selected in 8th position of the draft by the Knicks. Since then, the French Prince has charmed the versatile audience of Madison Square Garden. Fans revel in his science of the game and his selfless defense (6 points, 3.4 assists, 1.4 interceptions). “Frankie, Frankie, Frankie,” even roared the audience during the famous hookup with LeBron James in mid-November. “He was on my way, it could have been anyone else”, then minimized the person concerned. His number 11 is proudly worn by New York youth, his image was displayed in large on a building in Manhattan. A dubious time, the local press sings its praises. In the locker room, Ntilikina was able to win the respect of star Kristaps Porzingis and veterans. The management of the Knicks is rubbing their hands. “We were surprised at his ability to impact the game so early in his career,” says Mills. “We are delighted with his development.” Secretly hoping to hold the new Tony Parker…
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