Frank Ntilikina is finally returning for the Knicks tonight, per ESPN's Ian Begley.

Ntilikina was back at practice earlier this week, as he continued to nurse a groin injury. He didn't have any setbacks, but the Knicks didn't want to rush him back against the Jazz on Wednesday. It was more optimistic that he came back this weekend, and Ntilikina is living up to that notion.

It is good that the Frenchman is back, but it isn't the ideal return the Knicks had hoped for. Head coach David Fizdale had said he is going to use Ntilikina on the wing, and they wanted to see how he could play with new point guard Dennis Smith Jr. However, Smith threw his back out and could miss the rest of the season.

Ntilikina has been the target of trade speculation all season, and there are some that believe he will be traded on Draft Night. It will be a tough task, but Ntilikina has 10 games to show the Knicks that they shouldn't strike a deal.

The former first-rounder will have to face a tough team in the Nuggets Friday night. Denver owns the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference at the moment, and they're riding high on a five-game win streak.

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