Charlotte Hornets draft Malik Monk with 11th overall pick
With the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets selected Malik Monk out of the University of Kentucky.
It’s official. The Charlotte Hornets have drafted Malik Monk with the No. 11 pick. Shams Charania had it first when he tweeted that “Charlotte is selecting Kentucky’s Malik Monk with the No. 11 overall pick in the NBA Draft.”
Leading up to the draft, all signs pointed to Donovan Mitchell being the team’s most likely pick but because Monk fell outside of the top-10, Charlotte had a decision to make between the two guards. They decided to go with the 6’4 shooting guard out of Kentucky.
Just a couple of months ago, no one would’ve thought that Monk would slip outside the top-10. Even on draft night, most didn’t have him falling and it was always an outside chance that Charlotte would have the opportunity to get him. As the first 10 selections played out, Malik ended up being on the board when the Hornets were on the clock.
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The 19-year old averaged 19.8 points per game, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists during his lone season under John Calipari. He shot 49.7% from two, 39.7% from three and 82.2% from the free throw line. He doesn’t have great length and size but he more than makes up for that with his athletic ability as he recorded a 42″ max vertical at the NBA combine.
He probably won’t start right away for Steve Clifford but he does give the Hornets another scorer either off the bench or alongside Kemba Walker. Monk will definitely give the team more spacing as he is one of the best three-point shooters in the this year’s draft class.
During an immediate post draft interview, Monk revealed that he had a Skype call with Michael Jordan during the week leading up to the draft. Even though they didn’t bring Malik in for a workout, they felt confident enough to take him. He also said that “I can shoot the ball pretty good. I think that will show immediately.”
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Looking at who was still available when the Hornets selected, they chose to go with the best player available. The Ringer even tweeted that “Malik Monk could end up the steal of the draft.” It sure has been an eventful 72 hours for Charlotte as they also acquired Dwight Howard.