Malik Monk struggling to get playing time with Hornets

This has been a tough season for Malik Monk. He came into the NBA Draft thinking he was a sure fire top 10 pick, but slipped to 11th. He was quick to suggest that he was ready to make the teams that passed him up pay and that he was coming in with a chip on his shoulder.

However, after 38 games in the NBA, Monk has found himself in an unfamiliar situation; not playing. Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford gave Monk some good minutes early in the season and Monk had some success including a scorching fourth quarter against the Bucks.

In the team’s first 21 games, Monk collected two DNPs, meaning he did not play. He had over 20 minutes played in 8 of those games.

On December 4th, Clifford did not coach the team due to an illness, and it was announced shortly thereafter that he would be taking an indefinite leave from the team. Clifford was replaced by Stephen Silas.

In the 17 games that Silas has coached for the team, Monk’s minutes are down dramatically. He has collected five DNPs and has not played more than 20 minutes once. He has also played less than 10 minutes, nine times.

It is not uncommon for rookies to get a small number of minutes, but Monk could help the Hornets. He is a capable scorer that needs shots to be successful and with Kemba Walker and Dwight Howard dominating a great deal of possessions, there is not a great deal that Monk can do for the team at the moment.

It is still strange that his minutes have trailed off so dramatically after some good moments at the beginning of the season.

Malik Monk’s rookie year has not been great, but he still has over 40 games to find his role on the team. The hope is that they will give him a chance and that he can become the scorer that he was for the Wildcats.