Donovan Mitchell doesn’t “want Frank” — at least not at Dennis Smith Jr.’s expense.
Mitchell called out Knicks fans, who were chanting for Frank Ntilikina to play over Smith during Saturday night’s home-opening loss to the Celtics on Saturday night.
“Keep ya head up high @Dennis1SmithJr. it’s been 3 games y’all trippin 💯💯,” Mitchell said in a quote tweet of a video of Knicks fans chanting for Ntilikina.
Smith is off to a miserable start this season, making 1-of-11 shots in 26 minutes of action across three games. Ntilikina played three minutes in the Knicks opener in San Antonio, did not play against the Nets, then got 18 seconds of playing time Saturday night against the Celtics.
Smith will miss at least the next game — Monday night against the Bulls — following the death of his stepmother on Sunday.
Mitchell, Smith and Ntilikina will be linked through the 2017 NBA Draft. The three guards were taken within six picks of each other — Ntilikina at No. 8 by the Knicks, Smith at No. 9 by the Mavericks and Mitchell at No. 13 by the Jazz.
Mitchell is one of the future stars of the league, while Ntilikina and Smith — the key piece in the Kristaps Porzingis trade — are currently fighting for minutes behind Elfrid Payton.