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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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Weaknesses

Frank Ntilikina leaves a lot to be desired on the offensive side of the ball. Even though he improved as a shooter last year, he has a long way to go until he’s considered a true threat from the outside.

He also struggles to shoot off the dribble, making him a liability as the ball handler in pick and rolls. Like most teenagers, he will benefit from continued time in the gym working on and improving his mechanics. His slow shot release is also a concern but will hopefully get faster as he gets more comfortable.

Passing is another area of worry for Ntilikina. Even though he is big enough to see over defenders his passes aren’t always on time and where they need to be. This forces his teammates to have to adjust and throws off them their shooting rhythm as a result.

Related Story: Minnesota Timberwolves draft profile: Jonathan Isaac

Ntilikina also has to work on his ball-handling. His handles aren’t as tight as they should be and are part of the reason that he struggles to shoot off the ball. He also lets the ball get too far away from him when dribbling in traffic, leading to unnecessary turnovers.

The last weakness that Ntilikina has is his lack of elite quickness. He doesn’t have the same level of quickness that the top point guards have in the NBA. While this won’t affect him on defense as he has excellent length and lateral quickness. It will affect his game on offense as he will struggle to get a step advantage on his defender. This will make it easier to guard Ntilikina in the halfcourt.

As you may have realized, all of Frank Ntilikina’s weaknesses affect his ability on the offensive end of the court as his defense is the strength of his game.