Malik Monk gets Russell Westbrook comparison

The Kentucky Wildcats are in the middle of what amounts to training camp as they get set for the upcoming college hoops season.

While many of the new guys have lived up to their hype thus far in practice, one Wildcat who is exceeding expectations early on his Malik Monk. He continues to be the one getting singled out by local and national media alike for how well he’s looked thus far.

ESPN analyst and former college basketball coach Seth Greenberg gave KSR a breakdown of what he’s heard and seen of the Cats thus far, and he had some high praise for Monk as well, including a comparison to OKC Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.

“Monk reminds me a little of Russell Westbrook. He just gets after it,” Greenberg said of Monk. “He’s got a terrific middle game, he can shake it and just elevate over you, he can get to the rim obviously. He’s got a strength about him, he plays on good balance. He shot it well yesterday from the three and just the manner in which he carried himself, I thought he was really good.”

Getting compared to arguably one of the five best players in the NBA is pretty high praise for Monk. Then again, if you’ve watched any of his highlight-reels, you can certainly see that kind of potential in him.

I’m sure UK fans will get a good look at Monk’s dunking ability next week at Big Blue Madness.