STRASBOURG, France — Frank Ntilikina bent forward, angled his face to the ground and unleashed an extended scream. Then he fell to the floor and did five push-ups.
It was a self-imposed punishment of sorts for missing an open layup during SIG Strasbourg’s practice Monday morning, and after he completed the push-ups, the team’s five-on-five drill resumed quietly. Later, though, his teammates and coaches marveled at the outburst.
“It was our first time seeing that,” Lauriane Dolt, an assistant coach, said, laughing.
Ntilikina, an 18-year-old point guard, is widely considered the best prospect in European basketball and one of the most intriguing players expected to be available in the N.B.A. draft this summer. In one recent mock-up, ESPN projected the 6-foot-5 Ntilikina as the sixth overall pick.
According to his teammates, his coaches, his agent, talent evaluators and pundits, Ntilikina (pronounced nee-lee-KEE-nah) is mentally mature, with an enviable collection of physical tools. But with six months to go before the draft, everyone sees there is work to do. FULL STORY