Frank Ntilikina will play plenty Sunday against coach Gregg Popovich and the U.S. men’s basketball team in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
The rematch between France and the United States is set for Sunday at 8 a.m. (EST) in the Tokyo Olympics opener.
“We’ve been preparing for France for two years,’’ Popovich said. “I think about it everyday.’’
Indeed, it’s a grudge match. France stunned Team USA in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, costing the Americans a medal as Ntilikina outplayed Kemba Walker.
Walker is not playing in these Olympics, but Ntilikina likely will start at guard after failing to make Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation in his fourth season with the team in 2020-21.
Because of limited access this season due to Knicks-controlled Zoom media availability, Ntilikina had not talked to the New York press since Feb. 26. That was not long after he returned from a 10-day absence due to COVID-19 tracing.
Late last month, Ntilikina, the longest-tenured Knick, talked about his 2020-21 season in an interview with French sports publication L’equipe, which was translated for The Post by @FrenchKnicksPod.
“Not playing is not easy for a player,’’ Ntilikina said. “I would definitely like to play more. But I train all season long. And because I’m still a young player, I know I have a lot of things of my game that I can improve on in future seasons. This is what I did this season offensively in games with the Knicks as soon as I had playing time, being at my advantage over the opponent’s point guards.’’
Late in the season and in the playoffs, Thibodeau would use Ntilikina for a defensive possession to close out the first half or — as in the playoffs — the game. Ntilikina was put in cold to defend Trae Young in the final seconds of Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against Atlanta, but couldn’t stop the Hawks star’s final-second game-winning floater.
Ntilikina was still satisfied with his Knicks contributions in the 33 games he played in the regular season. While he averaged just 2.7 points, he shot 47.9 percent form 3-point range in limited attempts (23-for-48).
“I adapted well this season in games to make the right choice offensively at the right moment to either shoot or dribble or pass,’’ Ntilikina said. “And this happened because in my opinion, all my individual work during the season made me a better player even with few minutes this season.”
Ntilikina played in two of France’s three exhibition games. Both games he played came against Spain’s juggernaut.
He scored 13 points in the first game (2-for-4 from 3) and seven points in the second game (2-for-2 from 3).
“My approach to the Olympics is a bit the same as the one I had for the World Cup,’’ Ntilikina said. “I try to bring as much as possible to the team. It’s the Olympics, it’s not just anything, it’s something I watched every four years. Now having the chance to go with the France team is a childhood dream.’’
NBA scouts are watching. Ntilikina, who will turn 23 next week, will be a restricted free agent in August, when the medal rounds begin.
The Knicks would need to make him a qualifying offer of $8.3 million to keep him restricted. If they do, his cap hold would become a sizeable $18 million. But the Knicks can remove that hold on Ntilikina if he signs an offer sheet, just as the Wizards did when the Knicks signed Bobby Portis.
The market for Ntilikina might be soft enough for the Knicks to match a modest offer. The Post reported Wednesday they haven’t ruled out bringing Ntilikina back if they lose Reggie Bullock.
“New York is a special city for me,” Ntilikina told L’equipe.
But don’t be surprised if Popovich’s Spurs take a run at the Frenchman, especially if he stars for Les Bleus in Japan. The legendary Spurs coach has always been complimentary of Ntilikina.