Former Knicks president Phil Jackson had a French vision last summer with point guard George Hill in the middle of it.
According to an NBA source, if Jackson wasn’t ousted, Hill would now be the mentor for rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina. Not Jarrett Jack. Not Ramon Sessions.
According to the source, Jackson envisioned Hill being the type of cerebral guard to master the triangle offense and serve as a solid example for Ntilikina, whom the Zen Master tabbed eighth in the draft in June.
The source said Hill was ready to talk contract terms on July 1, interested in the New York assignment. Hill is friends with Knicks veterans Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah.
After Jackson was fired, then-general manager Steve Mills ran the show on an interim basis before his permanent promotion and he set forth a different, younger agenda.
Although Mills monitored the Hill sweepstakes, the Knicks wound up using their cap space on 25-year-old swingman Tim Hardaway Jr., who was not on Jackson’s radar. Jackson shipped Hardaway to Atlanta on draft night in 2015 for the rights to Jerian Grant, who no longer is with the organization. Jackson never saw Hardaway as a fit for the triangle or a stout defender.
As it played out, Hill wound up in Sacramento, signing July 4 as a mentor for former Kentucky point-guard stud De’Aaron Fox.
In a spate of irony, Scott Perry was director of basketball operations at that time for the Kings, and advised GM Vlade Divac to select Fox and sign Hill as mentor. Perry didn’t join the Knicks as GM until later in the month after their cap space was gone.
Sacramento visits the Garden on Saturday in a point-guard tandem battle of Hill-Fox vs. Jack-Ntilikina. Hill, 31, signed for three years, $57 million. Upon his signing, Hill said of Fox, “I’m just eager to get with him, take him under my wing, try to build something special.”
A couple of days later, Hardaway signed with the Knicks for four years, $71 million. The Knicks filled their Ntilikina mentor role with veterans Sessions and Jack for the NBA veteran’s minimum.
It’s an interesting what-if had Hill become a Knick. But things appear to be working out better than expected with their once-scary point-guard position. In fact, Ntilikina seems in good hands. Jack, coming off major knee surgery, has emerged as a competent starting point guard in supplanting Sessions and the Knicks are a surprising 6-5.
Sources say Jack has impressed the coaches with the amount he’s been in Ntilikina’s ear and has made Kristaps Porzingis better. Despite early injury woes, Ntilikina is playing beyond his 19 years with defensive smarts and playmaking, averaging 5.0 assists and 4.7 points in 20 minutes.
Perry called the rookie “a sponge” on Wednesday.
“Just to see a young guy whose eyes are still wide open and bright and has a lot of basketball ahead of him, I’m excited watching him grow and develop,’’ Perry said.
In another bit of irony, Perry tried to sign Jack to join Hill in Sacramento before Perry left for the Knicks. It was at Perry’s suggestion that Mills brought in Jack, even though they had already netted Sessions.
“He’s brought leadership and stability to the starting group and this team,” Perry said.
Jack has been so impressive the Knicks are considering releasing Sessions to make room for Joakim Noah’s return from a drug suspension. Such a move would give second-year player Ron Baker, a Hornacek favorite, the chance to get back into the swing.
Baker has been been inactive the last eight games after being Sessions’ backup. Hornacek originally claimed Baker was feeling the effects of a preseason ankle injury, but said Wednesday that Baker’s ready.
“His ankle is feeling better,” Hornacek said. “When he practices, you can see he has a lot more pop than he did last year.”
Hill has started all eight games he’s played (he missed two for personal leave). Fox, however, is putting up bigger numbers — 12.4 points, 5.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds — and speculation is he’ll soon supplant Hill as starter.
So were the Knicks better off with Hill or Hardaway?
Hardaway has been a streaky shooter at 41.1 percent, but has embraced a role as a secondary option to Porzingis. Hardaway’s defense and rebounding have been exemplary, likely giving the team greater value than Hill with the triangle gone.