The Career Resurrection Of Sacramento Kings Guard Malik Monk

When Malik Monk was drafted 11th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, expectations were high. At Kentucky, Monk had displayed a knack for scoring the ball, averaging 19.8 points per game, while showcasing elite athleticism and a reliable three-point shot, with additional room to grow.

Needless to say, with the ability to score inside and out, and the allure of jumping ability, the Charlotte Hornets looked like the perfect destination given their general lack of quality players at the time. Monk, surely, would carve out an immediate role and help the Hornets improve their offense.

Instead, Monk responded by hitting just 36% of his shots during his first season. He was, admittedly, not given much of a chance to find any type of rhythm, as head coach Steve Clifford afforded him just 13.6 nightly minutes of playing time. Instead, Clifford played Michael Carter-Williams and Treveon Graham over Monk, focusing instead on veteran experience over learning experience.

It didn’t get much better in Year 2, when Monk played 17.2 minutes over 73 games under new head coach James Borrego, averaging 8.9 points, but hitting only 38.7% of his shots.

After the conclusion of that season, expectations were dialed down considerably for the former lottery selection, in part due to the organization’s lack of belief in the youngster, demonstrated by the limited playing time and modest role in the offense.

After finally breaking both the 20-minute and 40%-shooting barriers in his third season, Monk was suspended by the NBA for violating their anti-drug program. He would finish the campaign having played 55 games, and with patience running thin.

In his final year with the Hornets, Monk finally found three-point shot that had seemingly abandoned him after becoming a pro. He hit 40.1% from range on the season, canning two three-pointers per game.

Yet, the Hornets weren’t convinced. They did not extend a qualifying offer to Monk, allowing their previous lottery selection to reach unrestricted free agency.

Monk then signed with the Lakers, on a one-year minimum contract, which began his career turnaround. As a Laker, Monk averaged 13.8 points, played over 28 minutes, and hit over 39% from long range, underlining the fact that his last season with the Hornets were no fluke.

Finally, last summer, Monk signed a two-year contract with the Sacramento Kings for $19 million total, allowing him to re-connect with former Kentucky teammate De’Aaron Fox.

In Sacramento, Monk has flourished. The 25-year-old has embraced the role of sixth man, and he’s netting a career-high 14.0 points per game in just 22.9 minutes. He’s made huge improvements as both a playmaker and driver, by more than doubling his per36-minute free throw attempts from 2.0 to 4.3, and increasing his assists from 2.9 last year to 3.9 this year, in 5.2 less minutes per game.

Monk has been instrumental in Sacramento’s impressive season, even dropping 45 points in Sacramento’s impressive 176-175 double-overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers on the road.

The 6’3 guard looks noticeably more comfortable with the ball in his hands, breaking down defenses, and his level of patience – especially on pick and rolls – is leaps and bounds better from any other point in his NBA career.

More importantly, Monk seems to have found himself a home. Head coach Mike Brown trusts Monk late in games, his teammates do as well, and there’s a level of on-court comfort in Monk now, which was apparent since Kentucky. He’s close with Fox, and the two play off each other very well, with Monk providing a crucial spacing element for Fox, who in turn puts a ton of pressure on the rim, which collapses the defense and opens up for perimeter shots.

With the Kings getting closer and closer to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, Monk’s situation raises some questions for other teams going through similar early struggles with their players.

The Hornets unquestionably made a mistake by letting Monk go for nothing, since he just a year later is playing a crucial role on one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Ultimately, the learning element here is to give young players a chance to succeed before determining their future. Monk started just one game in four years in Charlotte despite being an 11th overall selection. He never had a single 40-minute game and only broke the 35-minute barrier once.

In four years with the Hornets, Monk played a total of 4,159 minutes, barely over a thousand minutes per year.

That’s not only a difficult sample size to take anything from, but it’s also extremely difficult for any player to get comfortable in a set role, it the parameters are always changing.

Fortunately for Monk, however, he’s now in a place where expectation levels seem to be balanced, where both he and the Kings have come together for a shared purpose.

Sometimes, that’s all you need.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.