NBA Draft 2017: 5 most overrated prospects

4. Frank Ntilikina, PG, France

For the past few weeks, people have been talking about Frank Ntilikina and the New York Knicks like they’re a match made in heaven. After mining Europe to draft their unicorn, it would make sense that Phil Jackson would go back there for a point guard.

But unlike Porzingis, Ntilikina isn’t some unknown prospect that came out of nowhere on draft day. NBA scouts have been enamored with him, and draft experts – including ours at The Step Back – have been high on him for the past year.

At first glance, 5.1 points and 1.4 assists per game hardly jumps off the page. But European numbers are often deceiving, since younger players don’t get much playing time overseas. However, what people will remember is his performance at the FIBA U-18 European Championships, in which he averaged 22.7 points, 6.7 assists and 3.2 steals while playing a much more prominent role.

Ntilikina does have a significant drawback when it comes to turning the ball over. At that same FIBA tournament, he averaged 5.0 turnovers per 40 minutes. His playmaking ability is also limited by a lack of burst, which should be cause for concern at the NBA level.

Picking someone from Europe also always feels like a leap of faith since there isn’t as much tape on them and they’re a much more unknown commodity. Ntilikina is a great guard prospect, but having him go in the top 10 might be a bit of a stretch. Even someone like Dennis Smith Jr., who’s projected to go in the same area as him, is probably a safer bet.