The New York Knicks are set to pick eight overall in Thursday's NBA draft, and it appears they already have a player in mind. According to ESPN insider Chad Ford, New York is interested in the services of 18-year-old French point guard Frank Ntilikina, who is currently playing in the French league finals.

The Dallas Mavericks are also said to be heavily interested in the combo guard, but they have the ninth overall selection — one pick after the Knicks.

Ntilikina is thought to be a perfect fit for Knicks' President Phil Jackson's triangle offense. Jackson has always liked big, two way guards, and Ntilikina fits the bill at 6'5″ that goes along with a seven foot wingspan. Although most guards have held a certain disdain for the triple post offense, Ntilikina has recently said he thinks it would cater to his own skill.

Ntilikina told the New York Daily News:

“I watch a lot of their games and I know how they play with their triangle offense with Phil Jackson as the president, and I know the players. I think it would be a good thing for me … I love to learn everything about the game, so I was just trying to figure out what it was, and how to play that. It brought Phil Jackson a lot of championships. So it’s good.”

Although Ntilikina may actually posses the highest upside in the draft, teams have reportedly been scared off by his lack of numbers in the French league. The Frenchman held averages of 5.2 points and 1.4 assists in 18.3 minutes last season with Strasbourg. Keep in mind however, a guy named Kristaps Porzingis averaged just 10.7 points and 4.8 in the Spanish league before improving upon those numbers with 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds his NBA rookie season. In Europe, sometimes numbers don't fully tell the tale.

The Knicks certainly hope that is the case once again.