“The French Prince’’ has arrived in New York.Knicks point guard Frank Ntilikina’s unofficial start to his second NBA season begins Monday when he huddles for the first time with new coach David Fizdale at the team’s Tarrytown facility, according to an NBA source.
Ntilikina, 19, flew in from France on Sunday after spending the past 5 ½ weeks in his homeland. According to an NBA source, Fizdale will conduct his first informal workout with players Monday as the Knicks three young point guards — Ntilikina, Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke — will be on hand.
Also on hand will be Damyean Dotson, their 2017 second-round pick, and Troy Williams, who played for Fizdale in Memphis.
Fizdale texted Ntilikina after getting the job earlier this month, but they have never met. The Knicks coach has said repeatedly establishing “great relationships’’ with his new players is his top goal this summer.
Knicks management didn’t believe the ousted coaching tag team of Jeff Hornacek/Kurt Rambis went the extra mile with their players.
Ntilikina, who lives in Strasbourg, France, has spent the past few weeks concentrating on strength and conditioning, working out a lot at Paris’ premier basketball academy, INSEP. Knicks officials are happy Ntilikina has put on muscle and weight. Management dispatched trainer Anthony Goenaga to France to work with him.
Last spring, Ntilikina didn’t do any pre-draft workouts because of the French League playoffs as he helped guide Strasbourg to the finals. He arrived in New York the day before the draft and only met with Knicks president Phil Jackson, then GM Steve Mills and Hornacek. Immediately after the draft, Ntilkina flew back to France to finish the series.
When he returned, Ntilikina’s sore left knee from the playoff grind prevented him from playing summer league. All those factors, Knicks officials believe, probably affected a rookie year in which he excelled defensively but struggled on the offensive end.
Ntilikina, who turns 20 on July 28, finished his rookie year averaging 5.9 points while shooting 36.4 percent (31.8 percent from 3). At his introductory press conference, Fizdale said he wanted to “get my hands on [Ntilikina] and start working with him and start seeing him with fresh eyes.”
The Knicks haven’t ruled out taking a point guard at No. 9 but it is unlikely unless Trae Young, once touted as the No. 1 pick, falls.
“It would only make sense if you feel that guard is far and away better than what you have on the roster,’’ Perry said in Chicago at the draft combine. “And we haven’t been able to make that determination yet.”