Frank Ntilikina Media Day 2023
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:10 >> Thank you, I'm really happy to be here.
00:16 Why the Hornets, just connection and
00:19 communication between Cliff and my camp during the summer.
00:25 Workout that I had in front of the team and
00:29 just the thoughts and yeah, like I said, the communication after with what they
00:35 had going with what they wanted to accomplish and where I was in my career.
00:40 It made sense, so to the decision during the summer and
00:44 I got here after and I'm really happy actually what's going on.
00:48 >> [INAUDIBLE]
00:58 >> I'm open to anything, but
01:01 we communicate on that, of course, play with the ball and
01:07 play off the ball will be things that I'm gonna be doing with this team.
01:15 And we have a lot of talent on the team.
01:17 So my style of game is, of course, I'm versatile so I can play multiple position.
01:25 I can defend multiple positions too, so that gives a lot of options to coach but
01:29 also to my teammates.
01:30 Where they can make plays but also take plays off, take pressure off of them.
01:37 So yeah, we did communicate on that and I'm gonna be playing both.
01:41 >> [INAUDIBLE]
01:51 >> Just show by example.
01:57 Of course, it's a chance for me to being around really younger players than me.
02:05 I can feel now it's my what, seventh season.
02:07 And from where I was at as a rookie, I've learned a lot about how to be a pro and
02:15 how to be an NBA player, about how NBA season is going.
02:20 It's really long and in order to be successful,
02:24 so you need to do those little stuff, right?
02:25 So for me, it will be show by example, communicating with everyone and
02:31 just being in the gym early, having the right thought process,
02:35 the growth mindset and show consistency and will to be successful.
02:44 >> And I know you've seen obviously as an opponent,
02:47 what's the biggest difference now seeing him close to the team?
02:51 >> I get to see him every day.
02:54 It's refreshing to see a player like him, how he loves basketball.
02:59 It just brings you back to when you was a kid and
03:06 you was just thinking about basketball and only basketball enjoying it and
03:10 he does just amazing stuff with the ball.
03:14 I've been in Dallas with one guy like this, Lupe Donchich, and
03:17 it reminds me of him in terms of how they love basketball, how they handle the ball,
03:22 how they be, just really enjoying it and figuring stuff out.
03:26 So that's one thing that just seeing him every day is
03:32 different than just seeing him two or four times a season.
03:37 >> Right, have you had any conversations with the NFL freshman right here about
03:42 Clifford or about Charlotte itself?
03:43 >> Yeah, definitely and it had all positive things to say about it,
03:47 about his time in Charlotte, about his time under Coach Cliff.
03:51 And that also helped me also with another teammate Evan Fournier with
03:56 the French national team who was with Cliff in Orlando.
04:00 Those were conversations I had with them too in order to know what to expect,
04:04 to know where I was just gonna put my foot in.
04:09 >> [INAUDIBLE]
04:14 >> Yeah, same thing,
04:15 till we haven't played together, we just know each other from the past.
04:21 France is a big country but not too big.
04:24 So once you passed 15 or 16 and you play,
04:27 you start to play for professional teams, you know everybody around the country.
04:33 So when I was playing pro, he started doing that, he went to Insep,
04:37 he started playing pro with Leon as well.
04:40 And so we started connecting and now we teammates and
04:43 that's really a good thing too.
04:45 >> [INAUDIBLE]
04:55 >> Yeah, it does help so much.
05:05 Definitely, definitely to have a friend, to have a friend as a teammate,
05:08 to have somebody that also is from the same background that's been here.
05:12 Also, it helps just make the transition smoother and just stay with, stay with.
05:17 So that's my guy and I'm really happy he's here.
05:19 >> [INAUDIBLE]
05:29 >> Yeah, but just like every other
05:32 player, it's just a lot of players, but I'm more in the mindset of not thinking
05:37 about this all year, I'm just thinking about the present moment, what I can do
05:43 every day in order to get better for myself and for the team.
05:47 So all this stuff, business side, it's the same thing every year, every year you're
05:52 here to prove or someone else is gonna take your spot.
05:55 So a lot of players that are really envious of being in this league, it's an honor.
06:02 It's not a thing to be granted, so it's the same thing every year.
06:06 But the mindset is here, just take it day after day.
06:10 What can we do to get better as individuals,
06:13 as a team in order to be successful?
06:17 >> Frank, a lot of people have talked about the timeline and
06:20 everybody kind of getting back here to Charlotte.
06:23 People said that, there's a lot of people back here that have been here in the past.
06:26 What are your impressions in terms of when you got here and
06:29 what your initial impressions are once you saw guys on the floor?
06:32 >> Everyone is locked in, everyone wants to get better.
06:36 And that was the message by everyone's been in the building early.
06:40 I personally got here early because of an injury.
06:43 I left the French national team to come to rehab.
06:46 Comparing to other preseason,
06:50 it was early because I was with the French national team at this point.
06:53 But I know in the 30 NBA teams, not everyone is in the gym,
06:59 not everyone is getting together, connecting, getting their work in.
07:03 And it's not everybody, a couple of teams, winning teams, but
07:07 you could tell clearly that everyone here wants to get better and
07:10 wants to be successful.
07:11 So that was really a good thing to see.
07:13 [BLANK_AUDIO]
07:16 >> All right, many people know you for your defensive ability, but
07:19 if you had to pinpoint one thing on all of your past experience,
07:22 what would that be?
07:24 >> Just make the right decision, make the right play at the right time.
07:27 That's what I do for myself, for my teammates.
07:30 So that's why I can play with the ball, off the ball, just giving the right screen,
07:34 giving the right cut, those little stuff that not everybody's gonna do.
07:39 So on the offensive side, it's just about plays, about reads,
07:43 about also connecting with your teammate, knowing what everybody's doing on the court.
07:47 So yeah, definitely defensively is gonna be huge.
07:52 I know I'm gonna give a lot on the side, but offensively too.
07:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]
08:02 >> All right, thank you, good to meet y'all.
08:04 [BLANK_AUDIO]