Knicks coach benched Frank Ntilikina because he has been ‘struggling’
Many New York Knicks fans and observers were surprised not to see Frank Ntilikina get any minutes during the team’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas. Head coach David Fizdale explained why after the game.
Fizdale said Ntilikina did not play because he has been “struggling” and Trey Burke is back from a knee injury.
Frank Ntilikina didn’t play in the Knicks’ 14-point loss to Milwaukee today. David Fizdale was asked about it. “Frank had been struggling. Trey (Burke) is back. Let’s look at it,” he said.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) December 25, 2018
The Knicks’ point guard depth situation is messy. Behind starter Emmanuel Mudiay are Ntilikina and Burke. Burke has shot terribly over his last six games and been benched here and there. Ntilikina has seen his minutes drop and even got benched. He is their first-round pick from last year and a guy the franchise wants to see develop. The issue is that despite his strong defense, he hasn’t developed his offense enough yet to gain consistent minutes.
