Five takeaways from the Knicks’ season-opening 126-107 victory over the hapless Hawks — a game in which the club led by 28 points early in the third quarter.
1. David Fizdale’s decision to start Frank Ntilikina at the swing position paid off, and the coach didn’t care an iota about Ntilikina’s modest five-point, one-assist, 2-of-7 showing. Ntilikina did what he did best: defend. He notched three steals, five rebounds, a block and one big deflection that created a fast-break hoop for Tim Hardaway Jr. in 33 minutes.
“I thought he played a great game,” Fizdale said. “I know you don’t see it on the stat sheet, but he really defended. It stood out. You can’t say you didn’t see it. He got after it. He made it tough — every catch, every entry pass, every shot was contested, every rotation was right. He’s an elite defender.”
It should be noted he scored the first bucket of the season — a 3-pointer after the Knicks missed their first nine shots. Fizdale came to town with a defensive reputation from the Pat Riley school, and the Knicks were active with ball pressure and created 12 steals. Fizdale loved the “effort level and communication” and commended Trey Burke and Ron Baker for “setting the tone, picking up the ball [early] every possession.”
2. It’s not too early to start speculating who will eventually get cut to make way for undrafted rookie surprise Allonzo Trier, who dumped in 15 points in his Knicks debut and had the night’s highlight play — a vicious, right-handed driving dunk. The 45-day clock on Trier doesn’t begin until Oct. 22, when G League training camp starts. The Knicks will be judicious in how they use Trier for the 45 days allotted in his two-way contract and got a boost when the NBA ruled a week ago travel days do not count on the clock if they don’t practice.
Sources estimate the Knicks can drag it out until early-to-mid December. At that point, someone has to go when the club converts his pact to a full NBA deal. Center Luke Kornet, who was inactive, is a candidate to get released and then re-sign on a two-way deal, a structure he had last season. Kornet struggled from the 3-point line in training camp — his bread and butter. But don’t be surprised if point guard Emmanuel Mudiay is considered, too. Mudiay was inactive with an ankle sprain, and Fizdale has to figure out how to get him into the rotation given his new fondness for Baker (27 minutes). Mudiay shot poorly in the preseason and needs to show extra scrap on defense.
3. Forward Mario Hezonja finally let his hair down in the fourth quarter during garbage time. The Croatian had a quiet preseason, telling The Post he didn’t want his teammates to look at him as an “a–hole” by taking too many shots. Hezonja went 5-of-11 in the fourth quarter alone, racking up 12 of his 15 points to give the Knicks seven double-figure scorers.
4. Courtney Lee was inactive as Fizdale didn’t want to “throw him into the fire” with just a couple of practices. Lee missed all of the preseason with a neck strain. Fizdale has to make a decision on whether he will get Lee into the rotation at some juncture. If anything, the Knicks would be wise to showcase him. A contender that suffers an injury down the road should have interest in the 33-year-old, two-way shooting guard whose contract doesn’t expire until 2020. The Rockets gave up 131 points in a loss to the Pelicans in their opener at home. Lee’s contract — at $12 million this season — is so difficult to trade under cap rules, especially since the Knicks want either an expiring contract or minimal money coming back.
5. God bless Vince Carter, who at age 41 started for the Hawks and was a plus-7 in a blowout loss. He racked up 12 points — still nimble enough to get to the rack for a lovely finger roll. He will be a good influence on the young Hawks, including Trae Young, whose NBA debut featured five assists, four turnovers, 14 points and a minus-20.