In his first comments since going down with a groin strain on Jan. 27 vs. Miami, Ntilikina expressed genuine enthusiasm to have second-year point guard Dennis Smith Jr. aboard. It sounded like he’d rather be teammates working off each other than rivals constantly compared to each other.
Knicks coach David Fizdale envisions pairing them as a potentially fascinating backcourt tandem. And so does the 20-year-old Frenchman who was selected at No. 8 in the 2017 draft — one spot ahead of Smith.
“I was excited, man,’’ Ntilikina said when he learned of last Thursday’s Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster. “We bring in another young guy as talented as Dennis is exciting. Right now I’m itching to get back on the court and play with him. There’s a lot of potential with this whole team, especially with Dennis and me. We can play together. He can play with or without the ball. I can do the same. I’m just really excited about being back on the court.”
Ntilikina’s groin is not healing as quickly as hoped. Earlier this week, Fizdale said Ntilikina and former starting point guard Emmanuel Mudiay (shoulder) won’t be back until after the All-Star break. The addition of Smith likely makes Mudiay an afterthought since he is a free agent after the season.
There was thought the Knicks would be inclined to move Ntilikina now that Smith is here, but team president Steve Mills still is rolling with the defense-first guard. Mills and Phil Jackson selected Ntilikina over Smith. For two straight trade deadlines, Orlando has inquired about Ntilikina but got rebuffed by Mills.
Ntilikina didn’t seem worried one bit.
“(Thursday) I was just working on my groin and my body,’’ Ntilikina said. “About the trade deadline, I was just really confident. I know I’m good here in New York. I’m happy to be a Knick. I’m doing everything every day to take that confidence back (into) trying to be the best Knick as possible.”
Fizdale has grown to appreciate the 6-6 Ntilikina — even if he’s not the scoring point guard the coach seems to prefer. Ntilikina brings stuff that Smith, not known as a defensive demon, does not. And vice versa.
If Mudiay was under contract for next season, things might be different regarding the roster depth chart. But now it appears Fizdale will ride Ntilikina and Smith, the explosive guard out of North Carolina State who racked up 25 points with six assists in the Detroit loss Wednesday in just his second game. Smith probably would have gotten 10 assists if the woebegone Knicks (10-43) hit their open shots.
Fizdale is tired of attempting to characterize Ntilikina, who is shooting 34.2 percent and averaging 5.9 points. He has missed the last five games.
“I’ll let them both handle (the ball),’’ Fizdale said. “(Ntilikina) obviously guards the bigger of the two guys. Frank is just a guy, I’m tired of trying to label him. I even can get caught up getting frustrated trying to say, he’s this or he’s that. Nah, he’s just a player. He can do whatever you ask him to do out there. He can play off the ball, he can play on the ball. He can guard multiple guys. I’m done calling him this or that. I just want him to go out there and be a winning player for us.”
Ntilikina and Smith had a cordial relationship when they were rival rookies. Smith told The Post last season Ntilikina was one of the guys he spoke with the most at rookie orientation. Smith said the other night he and Ntilikina were alone in the gym on Tuesday night working on their shots. Both have to work on becoming more reliable 3-point shooters. Ntilikina’s career 3-point percentage is 30.7, while Smith’s is 31.7.
“We know each other,’’ Ntilikina said. “We know when not in the same uniform, you’re always a rival against everyone of your opponents. Now, we’re in the same uniform and it’s exciting. We‘re going to try to get better and make this team better.”
The Knicks coach has grown an appreciation for how Ntilikina has handled his rocky second season — taken out of the rotation twice and being a DNP on Christmas Day after his mother flew in from France for the contest.
Fizdale thinks the addition of Smith will end rivalry narrative that existed between the two players.
“He’s a great teammate,’’ Fizdale said. “He’s a pro. The kid works his tail off to be good. At least we finally got him to a place I feel like that he’s not worried about, ‘I got drafted ahead of this guy and I got this or I got that. I just want to be a good basketball player for the team I play for and help them win.’ I think that’s where he’s at.”
