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Can we relax with the Frank slander. I mean its one thing to nit pick at his weaknesses, its a whole other thing to write the kid off as trash or a bust as a 19 year-old a quarter way through his first NBA season. That's just plain foolishness.
This is what Knicks fans tend to do that other teams dont and why they say you cant rebuild here. I dont necessarily agree with that notion, that you cant rebuild here, because if you fully invest into the rebuilding process most fans are smart enough to grasp what you are trying to accomplish, but I do agree that if you play into fan reactions here you are ******. Because everyone is so damn polarizing.
When Porzingis burst onto the scene as a rookie he was king of the world. And then people were writing him off the past 2 seasons when his game trailed off during the 2nd half of the season. Everyone reacts so intensely to what is immediately in front of them, it's crazy. Most guys dont bust onto the scene as superstars.
Frank was never supposed to do that, neither was KP even. Although, and I said it at the time, the labels of Porzingis being a "project" or "raw" was full on stereotyping when he was drafted because he was a year older/more experienced than most of the other one and dones, and he put up some legit numbers playing in Spain's top league (better than NCAA). On the other hand, Frank actually is very young and raw with some freakish physical attributes and legit tools to BUILD on that CAN make him a force in numerous ways very conductive to winning.
Point being, he has a solid foundation because he is good in all the right areas and can build on that and improve his weaknesses. Because of that, he has the POTENTIAL to be a great player if he is built up properly and allowed the time/patience to work through his mistakes.
I'm not saying Frank will be a star or even that he wont be a bust. I'm just saying that writing him off a quarter of the way into his rookie season is ******* nuts. **** like that is said all the time in here and it looks so stupid looking back at it, just thinking of the things said about Porzingis when he was drafted/was a rookie without any specific examples. Just chill. Don't expect too much and let him grow like so many other players have dont before him.
And just for the record, it's not like he is struggling when everybody else around him are world beaters.
Lonzo/Dennis were considered right away to be top ROY candidates and most NBA ready because they have advanced offensive skillsets that usually translate well into the NBA compared to players with other skillsets. They are both putting up pretty decent numbers inflated by playing on losing teams with very low shooting percentages. Not to mention, they are far worse defenders than Frank which most likely wont develop in the same way Frank's offensive game should.
Fultz is hurt and was atrocious when he played. I'd still take him #1 in a re-draft without blinking, personally. Fox isnt doing much more than Frank is currently in a larger role and Monk can't get off the bench.
Frank, even through this rough stretch, still averages the most steals per game in the class and far away the most steals per 36 mins and also averages the most assists after Lonzo per 36. Thats a pretty decent foundation to build on if you appreciate the small victories/improvements and stop expecting him to explode every single night.
You gotta trust the process with a player like Frank. He's not Porzingis. Porzingis was far less raw and more experienced contributing at a high level in addition to his crazy potential.
It's too nearly to tell with any of these rookies. You tell me 5 years from now that any one of them is the best player of the 6, and I wouldnt be surprised. In 2010, Brandon Jennings was a one and done who exploded onto the scene in a bigger way than even Dennis/Lonzo currently are on his way to a first team all rookie season. Tyreke Evans was a one and done who won ROY that same year. James Harden was a 3 year college player and he only made 2nd team all-rookie that season. Demar Derozan was a raw prospect who didnt make either team. MCW won ROY in a year Giannis didnt make first-team all-rookie. I could go on and on and on but hopefully you get the point.
I'm not saying that Frank has been great or that he is better than anyone else in the class or anything, just that you have to be patient because its way too early to determine anything of significance regarding his long term potential.
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Ntkilina still needs time but not gonna be the player many made him out to be..
