3 most disappointing Mavericks as NBA season winds down

Most disappointing Dallas Mavericks: 2. Frank Ntilikina

Owner Mark Cuban hyped Ntilikina as one of the Mavericks to step up in the wake of Jalen Brunson’s departure in free agency. He even mentioned Ntilikina as one of the most underrated players on the team.

An injury kept him out of EuroBasket 2022 and the early part of the season, but the 6’4 guard played his first game on Nov. 10. He is fully healthy and struggling to find consistent minutes. Ntilikina is not a traditional point guard, and he has provided virtually no playmaking ability to a team that desperately needs more.

Ntilikina is averaging 2.5 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 12.2 minutes per game over 37 contests. He is shooting 34.7 percent from the field, 20.8 percent on his threes, and 63.6 percent from the free throw line. The 24-year-old has been a virtual zero on the offensive end of the floor, and his defense has not made up for it.

He has a negative-0.6 value over replacement player (VORP) and a negative-0.031 win shares per 48 minutes. By nearly every advanced metric, Ntilikina has been one of the worst players in the league this season, despite Cuban trying to hype him up before the season.