About that infamous meeting.
Last week, Knicks coach David Fizdale revealed French point guard Frank Ntilikina came into his office a few weeks ago and stated he wants to be known as “a dog’’ — a familiar phrase characterizing many of the 2019-20 Knicks’ new players.
Fizdale said there was more to their talk. It’s been evident in Ntilikina’s play — underscored Wednesday night. The once-hesitant Ntilikina looked free as an eagle in Philadelphia, dancing into pick-and-rolls, firing up clean shots from mid-range and the 3-point line.
When Fizdale was asked after the game, point-blank, if Ntilikina just doesn’t give a f–k anymore, the Knicks coach smiled.
“I told you about the meeting we had,’’ Fizdale said. “It was basically: ‘F it.’ I’m not going to be worried about all that stuff anymore. I think he’s cut back on what he’s reading and helped him keep a clear head. I like the way he’s managing the game and going about attacking.’’
Ntilikina was 6 of 8 from the field and — lo and behold — his shooting percentage is now up to 40 percent. Last season, Ntilikina heard his name being bandied about on the trading block, even on draft night in June.
His sound play for France at the World Cup this summer helped his confidence. Now any uptick in offense for Ntilikina, who is averaging 6.1 points, is cause for celebration for his cult following, who would like to see a statue in French marble erected after any double-figure-scoring outing.
Ntilikina posted 17 points, one below his career high, in the loss to the Sixers. He’s shooting 33.7 percent from 3-point range, which is below the NBA average — but not by much.
“He’s getting better, better and better,’’ Fizdale said. “More confident. We’ve gone through so much noise, he and I together. I’m just so proud of him with the way he’s handled everything, and now he’s just not even thinking about it. I think you can see that he’s just out there playing and having fun. All of the team, we just have a lot of confidence in him.”
It was in Orlando only a little more than three weeks ago when Fizdale refused to start Ntilikina even though every other point guard on the roster — Elfrid Payton (hamstring), Dennis Smith Jr. (family leave), Kadeem Allen (knee) was unavailable. Fizdale started RJ Barrett at the point instead and inserted Wayne Ellington, who has since fallen off the map, as starting shooting guard.
When the Knicks resume play Saturday against the Spurs, Ntilikina will make his 10th straight start. Maybe the $6.3 million rookie-contract option the Knicks picked up in October for next season settled his mind.
“[I’m just] working the game, getting easy shots and taking what the defense gives to us,’’ Ntilikina said. “We felt more comfortable moving the ball, and that’s the work that we’ve put in since training camp.’’
Ntilikina’s value as a defender and ball-mover is evident, perhaps amplified by how the club looks when he’s not on the floor. Wednesday, the Knicks blew a 17-point lead late in the third quarter — much of it frittered away when Ntilikina was on the bench for Smith.
The 4-11 Knicks are a minus-0.6 points per game when Ntilikina is on the court. When he is on the bench, the Knicks are minus-6.3 points per game.
For more on the Knicks, listen to the latest episode of the “Big Apple Buckets” podcast: