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Minnesota Timberwolves draft profile: Frank Ntilikina

By Brian Sampson

Nov 14, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; The French flag is displayed during a moment of silence before the game between the Washington Wizards and the Orlando Magic at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 108 - 99. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; The French flag is displayed during a moment of silence before the game between the Washington Wizards and the Orlando Magic at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 108 - 99. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 21, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts to a call in the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts to a call in the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Frank Ntilikina, the young point guard from France, is one of the most mysterious prospects in this year’s draft.

Even though the Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t in need of a point guard, Frank Ntilikina is an important player to keep an eye on.

This Timberwolves’ draft will be an important one for them. They are hoping to land a player who can come in and make an immediate impact. Frank Ntilikina may or may not be that guy.

Ntilikina won’t turn 19 years old until more than a month after the draft. In that respect, he may be far from having an impact at an NBA level.

On a different note, however, he is already so good defensively that most scouts believe he will make his presense felt immediately at that end of the court.

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Ntilikina played a limited role for his French pro-team this past season. He averaged only 18.3 minutes, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 5.2 points per game. He did shoot an impressive 43.1 percent from the 3-point line as he showed he has an improved perimeter game.

Some scouts are okay with his limited production as the French Pro League Ntilikina plays in is much more competitive than the NCAA.

Overall, it’s difficult to judge exactly how Ntilikina will adjust to the NBA game given that he is currently playing in France. It does appear that he will come to the NBA right away as I haven’t seen any question marks about him remaining overseas to develop his game.

As noted previously, the Timberwolves are already point guard heavy with Ricky Rubio, Tyus Jones and Kris Dunn. Therefore, he may not make sense for the Wolves at seven, but he will be drafted in the lottery for sure so we would be ignorant to not take a look at what Ntilikina has to offer and evaluate him.