There hasn’t been anyone on the Charlotte Hornets’ roster more questionable than Malik Monk. We’ve seen games where Monk scores at will, games where he shoots poorly, and games where he doesn’t even appear at all.
Drafted 11th overall back in the 2017 NBA Draft, Monk has shown flashes of greatness. His game-winning and one against the Sacramento Kings in late February 2021 was an indicator of that. His athleticism and the ability to heat up quickly make him tough to guard, however, his lack of defensive awareness and offensive inconsistency has many fans wondering if he’ll ever make the leap into a solid role player.
Monk’s stats this season were similar to his stats from the 2019-2020 season. He’s entering his fifth NBA season, and fans and critics are anticipating whether or not he’ll be on the Hornets’ roster next season. This past season, he averaged a career-high 11.7 points per game in 42 games. That’s not much improvement from last season where he averaged 10.3 points, appearing in 55 games, although he did score more with less time on the court. His best game of the season came in an overtime win against the Miami Heat back on February 1. Monk erupted for 36 points and 9 three-pointers. That was a career night in both categories and it indicated that Monk improved his three-point shot. In fact, he improved it so much, his percentage behind the arc went from 28.4% to 40.1% in one season; that’s very impressive considering his playing time was limited.
The main issue with Monk’s game that kept him from seeing action most nights was his lack of defensive effort. There have been countless times that an opponent has blown by Monk for a basket or assist and that is just unacceptable for a fourth-year NBA player. However, he’s only 23 years old and still has plenty of time to grow in that area.
After completing his fourth NBA season, there doesn’t seem to be a tremendous amount of growth from Monk. Although he impressed with the career night performance against the Heat, his stats have pretty much stayed the same the last two seasons, the only thing that stands out statistically is his three-point percentage compared to last season. With free agency looming and Monk entering restricted free agency, it’ll be interesting to see if Charlotte will put up the money to bring Monk back or move on.
Malik Monk’s 2020-2021 Season Grade: C+