Malik Monk NBA Draft Profile

Once Malik Monk dropped 47 points and hit a clutch shot to beat the North Carolina Tar Heels back in December, the dynamic scorer was locked in as yet another Kentucky Wildcats star that would be drafted in the lottery.

Monk was part of one of the best guard tandems in the history of Kentucky basketball. His athleticism and shooting prowess were the best on a team full of talent but he most likely won’t go ahead of backcourt mate De’Aaron Fox.

Here is a breakdown of Monk and where he possibly may fall on Draft Day.

Position: Shooting Guard

Height: 6-3

Weight: 200 lbs

Points Per Game: 19.8

Assists Per Game: 2.3

Draft Predictions:

Draft Express- #8 to the New York Knicks

NBADraft.net- #8 to the New York Knicks

Sports Illustrated- #8 to the New York Knicks

Strengths: There is no denying that the strengths of Malik Monk lie in his shooting and his ability to drive to the basket. When Monk is hot he is almost unstoppable and in today’s NBA he is exactly the kind of player that GMs are drooling over.

As much of a scorer as Monk is, he is also extremely unselfish. While he wasn’t the point guard for Kentucky, he did showcase his ability to defer to the open man.

He’s an extremely hard worker and he’s easy to coach. He won’t be one to rock the boat and will do whatever a team needs him to do. His upside is huge and he is tailormade for the modern NBA.

Weaknesses: One of the weaknesses of Monk is that he can be a streaky shooter. Coming off of his 47 point explosion against UNC, he was almost non-existent in the next game against the Louisville Cardinals. He went through a slump in the SEC tournament and that continued for the most part during the NCAA tournament as well.

There were question marks around his ability to defend and rebound, two things that a player of his ability should be able to do with ease. As the season wore on he improved in both areas, but he always left John Calipari wanting more.

Conclusion: It’s almost guaranteed that Monk will land with the Knicks. It’s debatable if this a good fit due to the disarray of the team and the rumors floating around that the organization wants him to play point guard which, in my opinion, is an extremely bad idea.

No disrespect to Monk, but an NBA franchise would be best served to let him do what he does best: get buckets. He’s a good passer but in no way is he a natural facilitator.

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