Jeff Hornacek says Frank Ntilikina will not play on Tuesday against Boston due to an ankle injury. Ntilikina missed most of practice Monday but Hornacek said the rookie's lateral movement has improved and the Knicks hope to have him back for Friday's game against Brooklyn. Ntilikina has missed two games with the ankle sprain, which he suffered in practice Friday. He missed the final four games of the preseason with a knee contusion and the entire summer league with a similar injury. Hornacek said the organization isn't worried about Ntilikina, whom they selected with the No. 8 overall pick, being injury-prone.
The coach said the 19-year-old's ailments are a result of playing with maximum effort. "He's playing as hard as he can .... I can't complain about that."