Knicks select Frank Ntilikina with No. 8 pick

With the eighth pick in Thursday's NBA draft, the New York Knicks selected French point guard Frank Ntilikina.

The 6-foot-5 190-pounder played professionally in France last season, averaging 5.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in just 19 minutes of action per contest. His shining moment came in the 2016 FIBA U-18 European Championships, where he lead France to the title. He finished the tournament with incredible averages of 22.7 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.2 steals per 40 minutes while shooting an absurd 58.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Ntilikina is probably a few years away from contributing on an NBA roster, but holds as much upside as any prospect in this year's draft. He's probably the best defender at the point guard position in the 2017 class, and uses his impressive length to expertly disrupt passing lanes. He's improved greatly over the past two years as a shooter, something NBA teams will hope continues when he makes to jump to North America.

While he possesses elite size for a point guard, he actually struggles to finish around the rim and has shown a tendency for turnovers when pressured in the backcourt. He's fairly limited at creating offense in halfcourt sets, and can go on cold streaks with his shooting from time to time.