Charlotte Hornets: It’s time for Malik Monk to become a starter
With training camp set to shortly start for the Charlotte Hornets, can Malik Monk finally earn his chance to start in the backcourt finally?
The Charlotte Hornets are a month away from the start of another NBA season, and the team has many questions to solve during training camp. The team must decide on who the starting shooting guard will be.
Currently, there are two options for the Hornets to go with at this position. Malik Monk and Nicolas Batum look to be the only ones who could compete for the starting job for the Hornets.
For me, the best player for this spot is easily Malik Monk. For his entire career, Monk has not been given the shot to prove what he can do as a starter. He’s a former lottery pick who has improved each season.
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Last season was the best season of Monk’s career. Monk managed to average 8.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Monk also managed to knock down seven three-pointers in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks last season.
With the loss of Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb during the offseason, Monk is easily the best perimeter shooter on the team. Even with his limited playing time last season, Monk managed to knockdown 109 three-pointers.
With the Hornets unsure if they are will enter a rebuilding period, it still would be nice for Monk to earn a chance to start. It would be crazy for him not to start after Batum’s performance during the FIBA world cup.
Batum played a lot of minutes during the FIBA Tournament and was not able to show a lot of production. This kind of play from the veteran should be noted by Coach James Borrego, as the team needs to start playing their younger guys.
Nicolas Batum may be the team’s highest-paid player, but Monk needs to earn his shot to make that kind of money. Unlike Batum, Monk has been finding ways to improve his game every season.
Monk’s chances at a starting job may have been hurt when he declined his invitation to play in Summer League, but he still has a shot at earning it during training camp. With his level of confidence, he should do well during training camp.
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The Charlotte Hornets are set to play their first preseason game on October 6th against former Hornets’ star Kemba Walker and the Boston Celtics. I expect Malik Monk to see a significant amount of playing time during the preseason, and a couple of starts.