If Frank wants to project as the lead initiator on offense, he’ll need to be more aggressive and turn the ball over less – a tough combination. If he becomes more of a scoring threat himself, that should help open things up for teammates. This season look for his touch around the rim to improve.

Some Knicks fans may argue that it’s OK if Frank never develops into a primary ball handler. His ability to defend the opponent’s best perimeter player, regardless of position, takes a huge burden off of his backcourt mates, and gives the Knicks some lineup flexibility. For example, Trey Burke’s offensive skill set is a must-have for the Kristap-less Knicks, but his lack of size makes him difficult to hide on D. The point guard position is too loaded for Burke to be expected to carry the offense and chase his man through dozens of pick-and-rolls every game. That’s where Ntilikina comes in, allowing Burke to hide on the Michael Kidd-Gilchrists of the world.

For him to be a viable off-ball option, Frank would need to improve his perimeter shooting, where, as I mentioned, he graded out to an F among qualifying guards last season, per BBall Index stats. He did show some flashes of promise, though. On his 97 catch-and-shoot three-point attempts, he connected on a respectable 36.1%. Early this season, I will perform a deep dive into Frank’s shooting with the help of our resident shot form expert, Dylan Ward.