We "Don't" Want the Monk: The Malik Monk Thread

[316Hornets]

https://www.nba.com/hornets/malik-monk-talks-offseason-being-patient-and-new-opportunities

Not so fast on Monk. Sounds like he is adding some much needed muscle.

“[I’m] putting on a lot of muscle, a lot of strength and just getting a lot of shots up. It’s gone pretty well,”

[SWedd523]

https://www.nba.com/hornets/malik-monk-talks-offseason-being-patient-and-new-opportunities

Not so fast on Monk. Sounds like he is adding some much needed muscle.

That boy ain't putting on no damn muscle.

Especially not doing 10lb dumbbell lunges lol

[BigSlam]

https://www.nba.com/hornets/malik-monk-talks-offseason-being-patient-and-new-opportunities

Not so fast on Monk. Sounds like he is adding some much needed muscle.

That boy ain't putting on no damn muscle.

Especially not doing 10lb dumbbell lunges lol

#beastmode
#jacked
#corymaggette2.0
#porzingiswho?
#roidrage
#pisstesthim

[tondi123]

https://www.nba.com/hornets/malik-monk-talks-offseason-being-patient-and-new-opportunities

Not so fast on Monk. Sounds like he is adding some much needed muscle.

That boy ain't putting on no damn muscle.

Especially not doing 10lb dumbbell lunges lol

Don't be harsh. I see 120lb women doing those all the time at the gym. They must be quite effective.

[MugzZo]

I think there's a good chance we decline Monk's 5.3M team option in 2020.

Monk's definitely been atrocious. This is a make or break year for him no doubt. Analytics pegged him as highly likely bust coming out of college, but i still can't get too mad at us for taking a shot on him when he slipped.

i was glad to see Donovan Mitchell have a tough season because after their rookie year i thought we had made a devastating decision.


All that said, $5m is like nothing these days... you can barely get an end of the bench player that's any better than Monk or $5m so I'd hate to give up on a 22 year old with his athleticism/shooting over a $5m option...

We're gonna suck with or without monk so i dont want to give up on him on the rookie deal unless it was to make room for some studs in free agency (doubt it!)...

On the same token id lose my mind if we hand him an extension without him showing anything. Im not sure he's even an NBA player at this point

We definitely made a devastating decision. But im also a monk fan and really want him to succeed.

[Snidely FC]

I don't like Monk. I don't like his game. If it were up to me I would trade him.

That being said, If the team is going to keep him they need to put him in a position to succeed. To Wit:

“I’ve never not played before [coming to the NBA],” Monk stated. “I’ve always been the best guy on the court. I’ve never not gotten fifteen, twenty shots, but I’m playing five minutes or less [sometimes]. It was a big challenge for me, but it’s what you have to do as a basketball player. There’re 20 other NBA guys just like you or who probably do more than you. You just have to wait your turn, wait for your opportunity and I’ve got a big opportunity this year.”

This is true^!
He is a volume shooter and a guy who can get torrid in the flow. Not gonna happen when you play 5 minutes.
This season the Hornets have a decision to make. Do they keep running Nic Batum 30 mpg at SG (whyyyyy?) or test drive Monk? Like seriously, maybe the answer to this team's dearth of shooting is a 21 year old kid already on the roster?

[BigRedDog]

I don't like Monk. I don't like his game. If it were up to me I would trade him.

That being said, If the team is going to keep him they need to put him in a position to succeed. To Whit:

“I’ve never not played before [coming to the NBA],” Monk stated. “I’ve always been the best guy on the court. I’ve never not gotten fifteen, twenty shots, but I’m playing five minutes or less [sometimes]. It was a big challenge for me, but it’s what you have to do as a basketball player. There’re 20 other NBA guys just like you or who probably do more than you. You just have to wait your turn, wait for your opportunity and I’ve got a big opportunity this year.”

This is true^!
He is a volume shooter and a guy who can get torrid in the flow. No gonna happen when you play 5 minutes.
This season the Hornets have a decision to make. Do they keep running Nic Batum 30 mpg at SG (whyyyyy?) or test drive Monk? Like seriously, maybe the answer to this team's dearth of shooting is a 21 year old kid already on the roster?

yeah i mean the last two years we were trying to make the playoffs and monk was absolutely horrid so we really couldnt afford to give him any minutes at all.. But this year we re not playoff contenders. if we dont give him ~15-20 miins a night for a few months to see if he hathe potential to be an nba rotation player before we have to make a decision on his team option and impending FA then we are the dumbest team in the league

[Robot Rock]

I don't like Monk. I don't like his game. If it were up to me I would trade him.

That being said, If the team is going to keep him they need to put him in a position to succeed. To Whit:

“I’ve never not played before [coming to the NBA],” Monk stated. “I’ve always been the best guy on the court. I’ve never not gotten fifteen, twenty shots, but I’m playing five minutes or less [sometimes]. It was a big challenge for me, but it’s what you have to do as a basketball player. There’re 20 other NBA guys just like you or who probably do more than you. You just have to wait your turn, wait for your opportunity and I’ve got a big opportunity this year.”

This is true^!
He is a volume shooter and a guy who can get torrid in the flow. No gonna happen when you play 5 minutes.
This season the Hornets have a decision to make. Do they keep running Nic Batum 30 mpg at SG (whyyyyy?) or test drive Monk? Like seriously, maybe the answer to this team's dearth of shooting is a 21 year old kid already on the roster?

yeah i mean the last two years we were trying to make the playoffs and monk was absolutely horrid so we really couldnt afford to give him any minutes at all.. But this year we re not playoff contenders. if we dont give him ~15-20 miins a night for a few months to see if he hathe potential to be an nba rotation player before we have to make a decision on his team option and impending FA then we are the dumbest team in the league

Well we're by far the dumbest team in the league independent of any Monk-related decision, but I do agree.

[UNCNYC]

I don't think Monk has any potential. He has an erratic game and seems to have an erratic persona. If he has trade value I would trade him for anything.

Maybe I am wrong, he has shown patience in waiting for an opportunity... so I will give him credit there, but something doesn't seem like it meshes well with him and the team.

[Diop]

While we had Kemba I would’ve considered trading monk for something, but now I don’t think we would get a decent prospect for him. We’re better off hoping for him to come good

[Robot Rock]

I don't think Monk has any potential. He has an erratic game and seems to have an erratic persona. If he has trade value I would trade him for anything.

Maybe I am wrong, he has shown patience in waiting for an opportunity... so I will give him credit there, but something doesn't seem like it meshes well with him and the team.

Now is not the time to trade Monk. He needs at least through December to see what we have. I mean, what's a trade going to do? Cost us a lottery pick for a second-rounder? That doesn't help one bit. Give him time to see what he can do and then figure it out in January.

Or, since now is not the time to do it, they'll go ahead and package him for Ademola Okulaja and a 2022 second.

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

what's a trade going to do?

Free up playing time for other guys who are far more likely to pan out than Monk at this point or allow a trade of someone like Marv to bring back more value.

I get the argument that Monk has shown flashes and if everything fell perfectly into place that he could maybe possibly really help the team. I'm just not feeling it anymore.

I think that the lotto pick value is never going to happen for him here. Giving him more PT and another year would just be another example of the sunk cost fallacy. I don't really feel strongly that the team *must* trade him, but not doing so would be a mistake.

[euphorbus]

[/quote]I think that the lotto pick value is never going to happen for him here. [/quote]

Malik Monk is 21 years old. I had not even graduated from college at that age.

As I wrote during the season, Monk has that "it" factor that can break a game wide open, or get the go-ahead shot when everyone else is backing off. As he stated, he is the kind of player that needs to get in a rhythm and that's hard to do in five minutes per game. His first season was lost thanks to Coach Clifford, who favored a guy named Frank Kaminsky.

Look at the advanced stats for post-All Star Game, when Monk started to get regular minutes:

https://stats.nba.com/team/1610612766/players-advanced/?Season=2018-19&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&SeasonSegment=Post%20All-Star&sort=NET_RATING&dir=1

He was third in net rating, ahead of Kemba Walker. He was also third on the team in +/-. Even though Monk is considered a poor defensive player, he has quickness, and his defensive rating was fourth on the team, tied with Graham. His assist to turnover ratio, on the other hand, was second to last. That's a matter of coaching, experience, and learning to see the court. His defense can only improve with time. I felt he was definitely trying on the defensive end of the court late last season.

[316Hornets]

The problem is, he lacks endurance. I'm assuming that's why we sat him a lot towards the end of last season because he lacked the energy that he started the season with. He can open the game open on occasion, but he can't last a season unless he hits the gym hard. Those lunges in the picture are great, but he has to do it constantly.

[Bassman]

Monk has to WANT IT SO BAD he will dedicate the time and training necessary to realize it. I think he’s shown typical kid athlete symptoms; came easy in high school...flashes in college reinforced his thinking...drafted in the lottery after his freshman year...easy street. Guys either work their butt off to get it or they go through the motions. He’s got some talent and an athletic foundation that could help, but time to prove something.

[Robot Rock]

I'll never understand people giving MKG seven years to break out but wanting Monk traded after two.

[yosemiteben]

I'll never understand people giving MKG seven years to break out but wanting Monk traded after two.

I think that's because MKG was consistently productive at one part of the game whereas Monk has had major issues on both ends.

[Rich4114]

I'll never understand people giving MKG seven years to break out but wanting Monk traded after two.

THIS! I'll never get how he has such a short leash compared to other turds we've drafted that have been around far longer and shown much less promise. The Donavan Mitchell near-draft-pick is really what I think does it. I try to look at it completely separately because if not for that, we'd be comparing Monk to guys drafted around him like French Frank and DSJ who are basically in the same boat as Monk.

Monk still has a chance. He comes across as electric, but I think only one season at college and inconsistency with coaches/playing time have held him back a lot. He's made mistakes but he has also shown us some promise. The defense is one thing and will likely improve as he gets smarter, it's the efficiency that would make the big difference for him. If he can pick better shots and better spots to take those shots (like less out of control 3's for example) he'd look pretty good for us. Kemba looked just as inefficient his first 2 seasons with us with WAY more opportunity than Monk has ever had.

[LofJ]

Monk is a bad defender and his scoring is still inefficient, but he's only 21 and his scoring efficiency is within striking distance of where you want it to be.

When you take into account his age, the fact that he shot almost 90% from the line, and his athleticism; there is enough there to remain cautiously optimistic about him as a player. if he can cut his turnovers and take better shots to improve his efficiency this season I will be happy with his progression.

[Liver_Pooty]

Wreaks of a young JR Smith right now