It’s been a season to forget for the New York Knicks. That sentiment is especially true for second-year guard Frank Ntilikina, who has not suited up since the end of January due to a groin injury. It was unclear if we’d see the young Frenchman again, but on Friday, we learned that he’s ready to return to the team.
Ian Begley of ESPN and Rebecca Haarlow of MSG brought word that Ntilikina will be in uniform and take the floor later in the evening when the Knicks host the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden.
Frank Ntilikina will play tonight. He has been out since late January with a groin injury.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) March 22, 2019
Happy Friday, peeps. Your man Frank Ntilikina is back; Fizdale says he’ll play on & off the ball tonight. Knicks will be mindful of his minutes, but everyone is excited to have him back on floor. #knicks @MSGNetworks @FrankLikina
— Rebecca Haarlow (@RebeccaHaarlow) March 22, 2019
With 10 games left in the season, this is a good chance for Ntilikina to play his way back into New York’s rotation. Ntilikina’s minutes and role fluctuated a whole lot during his first year under David Fizdale when he was healthy, with the young guard averaging 5.9 points and 2.8 assists in 21.3 minutes per game.
If Ntilikina isn’t able to carve out a role going forward, showing what he can do would still be big. His name has popped up in trade rumors a fair amount over the last few months, both during the trade deadline and as a name to watch on the market once the summer rolls around. No matter what the future holds, though, it’ll just be nice to see Ntilikina back on the floor after so much time on the sideline.
