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Frank Ntilikina can’t escape Knicks shakeup much longer

PublishedDec. 21, 2019
UpdatedDec. 21, 2019, 5:40 p.m. ET

MIAMI –Five more observations from the Knicks’ poor outing Friday in Miami —a 129-114 rout that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score.

1. In his final words before getting fired, Knicks coach David Fizdale said he was ready to shake up the starting lineup and point guard Frank Ntilikina appeared to be in his crosshairs.

When Mike Miller took over as interim coach 15 days ago, he reversed course and vowed not to make any changes.

Seven games into his stint and following an embarrassing game in Miami, Miller may make the move.

Miller said late Friday he is contemplating benching Ntilikina for Elfrid Payton, who just set a possible Knicks milestone of handing out 29 straight assists without a turnover. It may be a record – or at least the most since 1997-98 season when such stats were recorded.

Ntilikina had a brutal start against the Heat and Miller turned to Payton to start the second half. The 21-year-old Frenchman, in his third season, finished the night with three points, two turnovers, four fouls, shooting 1 of 3 in 15:37. His lack of being a creative penetrator – traits Payton and Dennis Smith Jr. each have – still hurts the team.

Ntilikina has started 23 of the past 24 games, only sitting against the Bucks earlier this month due to a back injury. It took a lot for Fizdale to promote Ntilikina to starter on Nov. 4. Payton was out long-term with a hamstring strain, Smith was away from the team after his stepmother passed away and Kadeem Allen had a knee injury.

Frank Ntilikina
Frank NtilikinaCharles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“We’ll take a look at it and see as we go into this game and see which way we’ll go,’’ Miller said at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“We see that as a positive that we can change the guys around for a matchup, how we want to start. We have three capable players that all do different things.’’

Smith is out of Miller’s doghouse after missing three straight games – one with a migraine, the other two “DNP-CD” (Did Not Play — Coach’s Decision). Smith played his second straight solid game, notching seven points and five assists without any turnovers in 14:33. He was a plus-10. Ntilikina played just 7 minutes of the second half.

“We were looking for a couple of things,’’ Miller said. “We believe in all our guys but we needed to touch the paint more. When we got in foul trouble, we looked at Dennis because Dennis is really good at getting into the paint. We wanted more paint touches. We asked Dennis when he got in – keep touching the paint and getting inside the defense and create offense that way.’’

Ntilikina, known foremost as a defender with his long arms, had a terrific night in Denver on the West Coast trip finale last Sunday but otherwise has been in a slump as a shotmaker. Other than his outing in Denver, Ntilikina has made 6 of 23 of his shots in the past six games. He’s averaging 5.9 points on 38.2 percent shooting.

It might be time.

2. Backup center Mitchell Robinson continues to impress with his inside scoring — putbacks/alley-oops. Though he fouled out in Miami, Robinson put up 18 points on 8 of 9 from the field in 28 minutes.

Ironically, Miller before the game cited Robinson’s recent avoidance of foul trouble.

“His discipline has been very good. He’s been really focused in a few areas and there’s been a lot of work done. He’s stayed aggressive defensively but some of the fouls that were taking place on the floor, he’s been disciplined keeping his hands back.”

Robinson’s shooting percentage is up to 69.7 percent and he’s now averaging double figures (10.4 ppg). But Robinson hasn’t attempted a jump shot in a while. He’s still working hard on his mid-range shot, 30 minutes before each game with assistant Pat Sullivan.

3. In a complete reversal of his “IsoZo’’ style, Allonzo Trier, off his concussion, played 10:17 in garbage time and took just one shot. Out of the rotation, Trier has normally been a high-volume shooter when he’s gotten rare playing time. But it hasn’t done him any good in getting back into the rotation. On one play in Miami, Trier drove the lane, seemed to have a path to the bucket but passed out instead. It wound up as a turnover.

4. Miller’s first job in the NBA was with the Spurs as an assistant coach for its G-League affiliate Austin from 2013-15. Bucks marquee head coach Mike Budenholzer also got his NBA start with the Spurs, and according to a source, Miller looks up to Budenholzer as a mentor more than any head coach in the league. It should be a thrill for Miller to square off against Budenholzer on Saturday night. There’s been a spate of recent stories onMiller’s unorthodox background and the Knicks interim swears he’s not reading any of them. Last weekend, one NBA source told The Post Budenholzer is perfect for the Knicks because he’s “unflappable.’’ Asked about the term, Miller joked, “I’ll let you answer that. You’ve been around for a few years. I’m sure at some point I haven’t been as unflappable as I want. How’s that?”

5. Backup big man Bobby Portis heated up in the second half after the Knicks fell behind by 34 points. It was nice to see, but the pressure was off and the Heat’s starters were on the bench for the whole fourth quarter. He wound up with 30 points on 12 of 17 shooting – 4 of 7 from the 3-point line. They need more consistency from Portis, who has shown flashes of brilliance.

For more on the Knicks, listen to the latest episode of the “Big Apple Buckets” podcast:

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