That’s how many vacancies are left of Frank Ntilikina Island just a month into the season.
To think: we were once willing to give out free show tickets and access to an all-you-can-eat pig roast just to sell time shares on this mofo. If you got in while you could, good for you. If you were here from the beginning and never left, please don’t be late for the board of governors meeting on Thursday night. We’re refurbishing the patio and need to vote on a type of wood.
Does this seem like an odd flex the morning after Frank scored all of six points on 3-of-7 shooting? Yeah, maybe…but at this point, if you aren’t seeing his impact on the game, you aren’t watching.
The numbers more than back up what is being seen by those of us who choose to use our eyes. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks score 5.8 more points per 100 possessions and give up 5.7 fewer when Ntilikina is on the court. The resulting plus 11.5 total is easily the best among Knicks who have seen at least 150 minutes.
When Frank is on the court, the other four defenders know that if they can just do their job, there’s a good chance they won’t have to worry about cleaning up someone else’s mess. As a result, opponent free throws decrease by 7.8 freebies per 100 possessions when Ntilikina is on the court, which is in the 92nd percentile league-wide.
Instead of fouling, Frankie Smokes is swiping to the tune of 2.2 steals per 36 minutes, fifth among 149 NBA players who have seen at least 300 minutes of action. The four ahead of him? Those would be Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, Jrue Holiday and Chris Paul. In other words, We Made It Fam.
He also knows when to push the pace. With Ntilikina on the court, the Knicks are scoring 4.8 more points per 100 possessions on transition plays (counting off of steals and live rebounds), which is in the 96th percentile (fun fact: best Knick for this stat? Bobby Portis, who has been a transition demon to the tune of +8.2 ppp/transition. Run, Bobby, run!)
When the Knicks offense slows down? Frank is still helping there too. The Knicks assist percentage is 57.5 with Ntilikina on and 51.2 when he’s off, the difference between the 18th and 29th ranked teams in that category. For whatever he takes off the table individually, he adds in a team context.
Oh…and he just turned 21.
