Frank Ntilikina would also like to know if he will play in Wednesday’s season opener in Indiana.
Ntilikina, Knicks’ lottery pick in 2017, missed the last two games of the preseason with Achilles tendon pain.
He is in a dogfight for rotation minutes with the Knicks backcourt and coach Tom Thibodeau announces that he will have a rotation of 10 men.
“It will be the coach’s decision,” Ntilikina said after Wednesday morning’s shootaround in Indiana. “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 many options for coach.
“We will be a talented team. At the moment, that question is more for the coach to find out what he is going to do. My job is to be ready for every game. “
Monday’s deadline passed without Ntilikina, 22, getting an extension to the rookie contract – which was expected. Ntilikina said he has never had any discussions about it and, as previously reported, will become a restricted free agent in 2021.
Hence, his future remains murky and a deal with a trade deadline should be a consideration for the Knicks if he’s not fully in the rotation. Of course, the Knicks could also add the French to a pack for a star.
Phil Jackson and Steve Mills, who lined up Ntilikina at number 8, have disappeared. Additionally, Ntilikina fired his CAA agent, Leon Rose, after his rookie year. Rose is now the president of Knicks.
“It is what it is,” Ntilikina said of the lack of a contract extension. “I am more focused on the game and the season. That’s where the main focus is – getting better every day and trying to make our goals successful. “
After the second game of the preseason in Detroit, Ntilikina Achilles began to feel discomfort.
“Something happened during the match, but the pain occurred after the match,” said Ntilikina. ‘I feel very well. We worked with the training staff and coaches to make me feel better. “
Thibodeau has seen Ntilikina as an off-the-ball guard in training camp – not to the point. Alec Burks and Reggie Bullock could end up on the depth chart for Ntilikina. Ntilikina played an average of 15 minutes in his two preseason games, shooting 37.5 percent.