Jeff Hornacek liked what he saw from rookie guard Frank Ntilikina during the Knicks’ loss to the Cavaliers on Monday.
During the first quarter, Ntilikina collided with James on his way up the floor after an alley-oop dunk by James. Ntilikina didn’t appear to be intimidated by James in the least, giving him a shove before Enes Kanter came to the rookie’s defense.
After the game, Hornacek liked that Ntilikina didn’t back down in the situation. The Knicks coach said it was “good” Ntilikina stood up to the best player in the game.
Jeff Hornacek on Frank Ntilikina bumping LeBron James tonight: “That’s good. A young kid (standing) up to the best player in the game.”
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) November 14, 2017
Nitilikina may be just 19 years old, but he showed on Monday he’s not going to be pushed around despite this being his first season in the NBA. That trait should endear Ntilikina to the Madison Square Garden faithful as he works on showing them the Knicks made the right choice selecting him No. 8 overall in this year’s draft.
Ntilikina finished Monday’s game with seven points, three rebounds, two assists, and six steals in 24 minutes.
