The New York Knicks could finally have point guard Frank Ntilikina back in the lineup to make his Madison Square Garden debut. According to ESPN's Ian Begley, head coach Jeff Hornacek expects Ntilikina to play in Friday night’s home game against the Brooklyn Nets, which would be the 19-year-old rookie’s first appearance since opening night.

Ntilikina, the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft, played eight minutes in the Knicks' season opener on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder and missed both of his shot attempts. He then missed the team’s last two games against the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics due to an ankle injury.

Ntilikina had previously been dealing with knee problems which also saw him miss significant time during Summer League and preseason.

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Ramon Sessions has started all three games at point guard for the Knicks this season, averaging 7.0 points and 4.3 assists in 26.3 minutes per game. Meanwhile, Ron Baker and Jarrett Jack have also seen minutes as backups off the bench in Ntilikina’s absence.

Ntilikina has been the subject of much speculation recently regarding a potential trade for Eric Bledsoe. However, the Knicks are apparently unwilling to part with the rookie nor second-year big man Willy Hernangomez in any deal for the Phoenix Suns point guard.