Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau entered the season opener against the Pacers, with no intention of playing either the Guardians, Frank Ntilikina or Dennis Smith Jr.
The two lottery selections in 2017 did not receive extensions to the rookie contract until Monday, and obviously neither of them rotated Thibodeau by 10 people.
Even after reserve goalkeeper Immanuel Quickley came down at the end of the second quarter with a hip pointer, coach Knicks tried to do without them.
In the third quarter, when starting guard Elfrid Payton took the third foul, Thibodeau tried a back field by Alec Burks and RJ Barrett instead of heading for Ntilikina or Smith.
This slowed down the crime and was another indicator of how the Frenchman and former North Carolina State Guard should gain Thibodeau’s trust.
Asked why he went without a goalkeeper, Thibodeau said: “Alec, in the past, played the point, he had a great first half. We wanted to continue as many photos on the floor as possible to try to create the opportunities we were looking for. It’s something we obviously wanted to take a look at. I think the more we do it, the better. “
It didn’t work out because the Pacers extended their lead to 88-82 after three quarters. Desperate, Thibodeau returned to Ntilikina to start the fourth, and the 22-year-old did not take advantage because the Pacers ran away with him.
Ntilikina played five minutes, missed the wrong both attempts and was a minus-5.
Before the competition, Ntilikina was not sure if the 10-person rotation would have broken. He had missed the last two pre-season games in pain in Achilles.
“It will be the coach’s decision,” Ntilikina said after the morning’s launch. “As players, we just have to be ready to jump on the field when they call us. The options we have, we have a lot of talented guards. That means a lot of options for the coach.
“We will be a talented team. At this point, the question is more for the coach to figure out what he will do. My job is to be prepared for every game. “
Monday’s deadline passed without 22-year-old Ntilikina receiving a rookie contract extension – which was to be expected. Ntilikina said he has never discussed this and will, as previously reported, become a restricted free agent in 2021.
Therefore, its future remains murky and a trading deadline must be considered if it is not clearly rotating. Of course, Knicks could add it to a one-star package.
Kevin Knox’s season began with a slow start. He scored four points in 18 minutes and missed the first three shots.
Thibodeau left with a starting unit consisting of Payton, Reggie Bullock, Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson. … Knicks came out on fire on the 3-point line and finished 12th out of 28 (42 percent). Barrett was 3 to 3 after fighting all last season and in the deep pre-season.