Frank Ntilikina convinced last year in Dallas, to the point of seeing his contract renewed for one more season. And on the spot, we hope that he will be able to justify this confidence, according to the words of the owner Mark Cuban. It is said without language of wood!
After being conference finalists in 2021-22, the Mavericks have logically seen their ambitions soar. It’s proof that a squad built around Luka Doncic can go far in the playoffs, possibly to the title if all the conditions are met. After years of playing in the soft underbelly of the league, never going beyond the first round, the Texans seem to have finally reached a decisive milestone.
As a result, the summer of 2022 was devoted to strengthening the roster led by coach Jason Kidd, in order to ride this wave of success as much as possible. The franchise was the first to strike during the offseason, setting up a trade with the Rockets before the transfer market even opened. It was therefore the big man Christian Wood who landed on their premises, immediately strengthening the interior sector. Asked by Sports Illustratedowner Mark Cuban was very satisfied:
We recruited Christian, and I think that suddenly, the interior scoring will no longer be a concern. He is amazing during workouts. We’re really, really excited to see what he can do. I think the creation of his shot and his overall shot is much better than people think. He will be really good defensively in our system because he is long and mobile. It will be excellent.
The Dallas racquet was indeed a little outdated compared to the rest of the roster, especially since the departure of Kristaps Porzingis during the exercise. That being said, not everything was rosy during the offseason and the franchise notably had to say goodbye to Jalen Brunson. Very valuable during the post-season and adored by fans, the guard joined the Knicks for 110 million over four years and thus deprives the Slovenian superstar of his faithful lieutenant on the back lines.
Mark Cuban very complimentary to Frank Ntilikina
Nothing to worry about the big boss of the Mavs however, quite the contrary. He believes in the workforce as it is currently assembled, and he notably released a not insignificant outing about a French player:
People forget that we have Frank Ntilikina, which will be even better this year. We started last season with Luka, JB and Frank and we strengthened our backcourt even more a month before the deadline (by trading for Spencer Dinwiddie, editor’s note). And then there’s Tim Hardaway Jr. who’s coming back from injury.
Extended this summer by the Texans, the young tricolor leader seems to have finally found his place after several difficult years at the Knicks. Out of the rotation before the playoffs, he nevertheless shone there as soon as he had the opportunity, especially against the Suns. His defensive skills have convinced everyone as to his usefulness, which means that he will be able to use 2022-23 to integrate a little more among the team’s captains. In any case, that’s all we can wish for him.
Mark Cuban thinks highly of Frank Ntilikina, and is even convinced that the Frenchman will show great progress from next fall. It would be ideal for him, in order to guarantee his future on the Dallas side a little.