Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau went into the season’s opening dispute against the Pacers with no intention of playing with the owners Frank Ntilikina or Dennis Smith Jr.
The two chosen from the 2017 lottery did not get their rookie contract extensions on Monday’s deadline, and, revealingly, neither of them made Thibodeau’s 10-man rotation.
Even after reserve guard Immanuel Quickley fell at the end of the second quarter with a hip tip, the Knicks coach tried to do without them.
During the third quarter, when starting point guard Elfrid Payton suffered his third foul, Thibodeau attempted a court of defense from Alec Burks and RJ Barrett instead of resorting to Ntilikina or Smith.
This slowed the attack and was yet another indicator of how the Frenchman and former North Carolina state guard need to gain Thibodeau’s trust.
Asked why he did not have a point guard, Thibodeau said: “Alec, in the past, played the point, had a great first half. We wanted to keep as much footage as possible on the floor to try to create the opportunities we were looking for incorporated. It is something that we obviously wanted to take a look at. I think the more we do, the better it will be. “
It didn’t work, as the Pacers increased their lead to 88-82 after three quarters. Desperate, Thibodeau turned to Ntilikina to start the fourth and the 22-year-old failed to take advantage of the Pacers to get away with him.
Ntilikina played five minutes, missed badly on both attempts and scored less.
Before the competition, Ntilikina was not sure if he had broken the 10-man rotation. He had missed the final two preseason games due to Achilles pain.
“It will be the coach’s decision,” said Ntilikina after morning training. “As players, we only have to be ready to take the field when they call us. The options we have, we have many talented guards. This means many options for the coach.
“We are going to be a talented team. At the moment, this question is more for the coach to find out what he is going to do. My job is to be ready for each game. “
Monday’s deadline passed without Ntilikina, 22, getting an extension to the rookie contract – which was expected. Ntilikina said he never had discussions about it and that, as previously reported, he will become a restricted free agent in 2021.
Consequently, his future remains cloudy and an agreement with a deadline for negotiation should be taken into account, if he is not directly in rotation. Of course, the Knicks could also add it to a package for a star.
Kevin Knox’s season started slowly. He scored four points in 18 minutes and missed the first three shots.
Thibodeau went with an initial unit from Payton, Reggie Bullock, Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson. … The Knicks caught fire on the 3-point line and finished 12 out of 28 (42 percent). Barrett hit 3 in 3 after having fought for the entire past season and pre-season.