On the heels of reports that the New York Knicks have given up hope in young point guard Frank Ntilikina, the Orlando Magic have set their sights on the French guard, hoping to acquire him, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
The Magic even sent a scout to Philadelphia to watch him play as the Knicks took on the 76ers on Wednesday night, hoping to see some flashes of brilliance.
“He’s intriguing,” said a different scout.
Ntilikina doesn't quite fit the mold of the point guard New York had been looking for, having shuffled the deck plenty at the point, even dating back to last season under former coach Jeff Hornacek.
Fizdale has done the same process of musical chairs, switching between Emmanuel Mudiay, Trey Burke and Ntilikina to see who fits best — yet just never for a long string of games, which has made it difficult to assess consistency thus far.
Ntilikina is long and a capable defender, but he has yet to prove he can be a consistent shot-maker or creative enough to be a passing point guard, leaving his game with plenty of holes despite boasting plenty of athleticism.
The 6-foot-6 Frenchman has moved from the wing to the point guard position plenty this young season, but both positions have failed him as an offensive prospect — still quite raw in both maturity for his shot-selection and his ability to shoot effectively (only 33.3 percent from the field).
The Magic have a starter in D.J. Augustin, but the veteran is only a placeholder until the franchise can find its point guard of the future.
Follow Us
Subscribe