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Frank Ntilikina would also like to know if he will play in Wednesday’s season opener in Indiana.
Ntilikina, the Knicks’ 2017 lottery pick, missed the last two preseason games due to Achilles pain.
He’s in an aerial fight for minutes of rotation with the Knicks’ backcourt depth and coach Tom Thibodeau has announced he will have a 10-man rotation.
“That will be the coach’s decision,” Ntilikina said after Wednesday morning’s shoot in Indiana. “As players we just have to be prepared to jump on the pitch when they call us. The options we have, we have a lot of talented guards. This means a lot of options for the coach.
“We’re going to be a talented team. Right now this question is more for the coach to know what he is going to do. My job is to be ready for every game. “
Monday’s deadline passed without 22-year-old Ntilikina getting a rookie contract extension – which was expected. Ntilikina said he has never had any discussions about it and will, as previously reported, become a restricted free agent in 2021.
Therefore, his future remains murky, and an agreement on a trade deadline must be a consideration for the Knicks if he’s not squarely in the rotation. Of course, the Knicks could add the Frenchman to a star package as well.
Phil Jackson and Steve Mills, who drafted Ntilikina at No.8, are gone. Additionally, Ntilikina fired his CAA agent Leon Rose after his rookie year. Rose is now the president of the Knicks.
“It is what it is,” Ntilikina said of the lack of contract extension. “I’m more focused on the game and the season. This is the main goal: improving ourselves every day and trying to achieve our goals. “
After the second preseason game in Detroit, Ntilikina began to experience Achilles’ discomfort.
“Something happened during the game, but the pain came after the game,” Ntilikina said. “I feel really good. We worked with the training staff and coaches to make me feel better.
Thibodeau saw Ntilikina as an off-the-ball guard at training camp – not to the point. Alec Burks and Reggie Bullock could end up ahead of Ntilikina on the depth map. Ntilikina averaged 15 minutes in his two preseason games and shot 37.5%.
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