Sacramento Kings & Malik Monk Can Both Cash In This Year

It’s been six years for Malik Monk. Granted, most of those were wasted seasons in Charlotte, where his coaches and front-office honchos could not or would not put Monk in the situations he needed—situations in which he was given a green light to score, situations in which he could fill in for a team’s best player and still provide the energy and offense needed.

He began to show that ability two years ago in Los Angeles, when he finally got a chance to get comfortable in a role. In a mostly disastrous season in which the Lakers did almost everything wrong, Monk was the major piece they got right, signed on a remarkably cheap minimum contract before he went out and had a career-best year: 13.8 points, 47.3% shooting, 39.1% 3-point shooting.

Last year, his numbers were down slightly in Sacramento (13.5 points, 44.8% shooting, 35.9% on 3s) but he was much more effective as a weapon—a consistent threat off the bench who was the centerpiece of the second unit and was comfortable running with old friend De’Aaron Fox (they were teammates at Kentucky) and the first unit.

Monk, at age 25, has finally found a way to have an impact for a team. He did not shoot the ball as well, but he got better defensively (even if only a little) and has gotten more comfortable as a playmaker. He was, from early in the season, a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, and ultimately finished fifth for that award, behind winner Malcolm Brogdon, as well as Immanuel Quickley, Bobby Portis and Norman Powell.

Coach Mike Brown was sure to press the media for their Monk votes. In November, he said, quite unsolicited, “Malik Monk should get some mention for Sixth Man of the Year. I’m just putting that out there. Again, Malik Monk should get some mention for Sixth Man of the Year.”

That’s a common tactic coaches use to motivate players to fill roles they might not want to fill—push a player to win Sixth Man of the Year, and that player is more likely to accept coming off the bench. Maybe that was the case with Brown and Monk, but in the coming season, Brown genuinely does need Monk to remain in the SMOY orbit. His performance will be critical to tying together the second unit and keeping up the Kings’ crash-bang pace of play. If Monk gets better, the Kings will get better.

Kings Want More After Playoff Appearance

Last year, the Kings were just happy to break the franchise’s unsightly playoff drought, and though they were the No. 3 seed in the West, they were the underdog in their first-round series against Golden State. That set went seven games, and it was good enough for the Kings just to have been there and given a good accounting of themselves.

They want more. Monk is one of the most important players on the roster when it comes to getting more for this team. He can score more. He can pass more. He can be more consistent. He can get a bit more effective on defense. There is room for Monk to grow, and considering his age, there is time for him to do it. Of course, now would be a welcome moment.

Moreover, it would be a good time for Monk to show the Kings he is the kind of guy they want to keep around. Monk’s contract is up after this season, and though he got a significant raise over his minimum deal with the Lakers, he is still very much a bargain. The Kings could re-sign him with Early Bird rights, and they will need to give him a significant salary bump to do so.

Monk compares favorably to a player like Max Strus, who just got a four-year, $63 million deal from Cleveland. A bit more than $15 million per year seems about right for Monk’s salary range. Considering his age and fit, the Kings probably would be comfortable going four years on Monk. Winning a Sixth Man of the Year, as Brown suggested, would not hurt.

But he must show he’s worth it. He did that, mostly, last season. Now Monk can show that, after six years bouncing through uncertainty in the NBA, he is finally where he should be.