The New York Knicks are back in the playoffs and will have the pleasure of trying to slow down Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young. The Knicks are elite defensively and will need a team effort against Young, but head coach Tom Thibodeau is already hinting at one potential move to make life more difficult on the All-Star.
That would be playing guard Frank Ntilikina, who hasn't been in the rotation.
Tom Thibodeau says he's giving consideration to having Frank Ntilikina in his playoff rotation as the Knicks prepare to face Trae Young.
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) May 19, 2021
Naturally, one has to wonder if this means less or no Elfrid Payton. As of right now, the Knicks head coach doesn't seem inclined to move away from the much-maligned starter at the point guard spot.
Yes. Doesn't sound like he sees the need. https://t.co/ammLb4upCP
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) May 19, 2021
Despite struggling basically all season and especially lately, Thibs has stuck with Payton in the starting lineup. However, his minutes have noticeably dipped of late. Payton played under 20 minutes per game in April and then didn't play 20 minutes in a game once in May. The Knicks veteran has often been starting each half and then not playing again in the half after getting subbed out, with Derrick Rose then coming in and making a big impact.
The Knicks have Payton, Rose, Immanuel Quickley and Ntilikina as options at point guard. It seems useless to keep trotting Payton out there for these stints as he continues to struggle, but perhaps Thibs just wants to keep that continuity going.
As for Ntilikina, he appeared in just 33 games during the regular season. He averaged 2.7 points in 9.8 minutes per game. He has never been known as an offensive player, but his length and athleticism could help against Young's offensive prowess.
We'll just have to wait and see how the Knicks head coach deploys his guard rotation against Atlanta.
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