New York Knicks interim head coach Mike Miller notes that Frank Ntilikina is still trying to find his rhythm after a recent injury.
In each of the New York Knicks‘ last two games, guard Frank Ntilikina seemed to struggle mightily on the floor. He combined for just seven points and six assists through 40 minutes in the pair of matchups. The veteran additionally turned the ball over four times and racked up a plus/minus of -26.
It’s a tough situation, but don’t forget that Ntilikina is indeed coming off a small injury. The third-year player sat for the team’s recent matchups with the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks due to a sore groin.
When speaking on his recent struggles, interim head coach Mike Miller is staying optimistic and stating that Frank is just trying to find an on-court rhythm again.
“I thought he played really well on the West Coast trip. Then he was out for two games. During that time, he wasn’t able to practice,” Miller said on Sunday, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “Then you’ve got to come back and kind of re-establish your rhythm and get back into a game flow. That’s what he’s doing right now.
“He’s approached every day the same way. He comes in and works. He’s shown development in areas, certainly. His assists numbers are up. That’s the biggest thing, is he’s setting up baskets consistently when he’s out there with the second unit.”
During the recent West Coast trip, which included games against the Suns, Clippers, Lakers, and Jazz, Ntilikina averaged 9.0 points and 3.0 assists on 48.1% shooting from the field and 27.2% from three. The Knicks lost each one of those contests.
Overall, Frank is averaging 6.1 points and 3.2 assists on 38.3% shooting and 32.3% from behind the arc. It’ll be interesting to see if he emerges from this minor slump when the Knicks take on the Cavaliers on Monday. Tip-off will take place at 5:00 p.m. ET at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
