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Buzz City Beat: How Malik Monk can improve, Dwayne Bacon shows out in hometown

By Jerry Stephens

ORLANDO, FL - JULY 6: Wesley Iwundu #25 of the Orlando Magic and Dwayne Bacon #4 of the Charlotte Hornets stand on the court during the Mountain Dew Orlando Pro Summer League on July 6, 2017 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - JULY 6: Wesley Iwundu #25 of the Orlando Magic and Dwayne Bacon #4 of the Charlotte Hornets stand on the court during the Mountain Dew Orlando Pro Summer League on July 6, 2017 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the latest and greatest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.

The Charlotte Hornets have been rather quiet since signing Michael Carter-Williams but they will likely make one or two small moves this summer. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at what Malik Monk needs to work on, Dwayne Bacon playing in open runs and the Charlotte Hornets’ first round pick signs with Nike.

How Malik Monk needs can improve his game (HoopsHabit.com)

"If Monk doesn’t improve much at all defensively, then a Walker-Monk backcourt will get cooked every time down. That’s why the best long-term option is to develop Monk as a scoring point guard behind Walker. If Monk is going to be successful in that role, however, he’ll most definitely have to fine-tune his decision-making skills."

Monk’s clear strength is his scoring ability but to become a complete all-around player, he must continue to work on his defense and playmaking. During his rookie year, he will likely go through his fair share of struggles as all first-year players do in the NBA. It will take some time to adjust to the speed and style of play and until he does, he will have to rely on his strength which is scoring.

Once he becomes more comfortable, Malik can then develop and improve other parts of his game. Playing under Steve Clifford should help the Kentucky product as the Hornets’ prioritize defense and taking care of the ball.

Dwayne Bacon shows out in hometown (Youtube.com)

After the Orlando Pro Summer League, the Hornets’ second-round pick stayed in state and went to his hometown of Lakeland, Florida. The video shows him and Rutgers’ junior guard Corey Sanders playing against a number of talented players from their hometown. One takeaway, Bacon can’t be guarded by anyone in that gym.

At the start of the video, Dwayne talked about being selected by Charlotte and the team told him to “just play your game.” The video is full of highlights but Bacon’s best came at the six-minute mark and at 12:30. At 14:45, the second round pick put on a show with multiple dunk contest worthy slams.

Malik Monk signs with Nike (BizJournals.com)

"The Washington County sportswear company’s previously announced NBA rookie class also includes Markelle Fultz, De’Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum, Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo, Harry Giles and Jonathan Isaac."

Next: Weber's future with Hornets may be in doubt

Chicago Bulls’ rookie Lauri Markkanen is the latest 2017 first round pick to sign with Nike. Monk signed before the draft and now that he is on a team owned by Michael Jordan, he will likely become a Jordan Brand athlete. Who gets a signature shoe first, Kemba Walker or Malik?

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