Heartbreak: Sacramento Kings greatest player of all time has finally announce his leaving due comeback of…
Malik Monk, a guard with the Kings, summed up his NBA career in three words: everything from being selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 11th overall pick seven years ago to finally feeling like he belonged in Sacramento – and everything in between.
Monk was keen to advance in the NBA after demonstrating his talent during his one year at Kentucky. However, things in Charlotte did not go as he had anticipated, and he faced early misfortune on and off the court.
“Oh, dude. S–t. I was just left wondering,” Monk told NBC Sports California. “Did I play basketball well? However, me being myself, being confident, and having my brother there prevented it from going anywhere.
Having those voices and those recognizable faces was really helpful to me, my mom.
“Yes, but I simply didn’t have the opportunities.”
Monk’s playwriting gained a lot of attention during the Kings’ 2023–24 season. He received a ton of praise for his skill with the ball and comfort managing Sacramento’s distinctive attack. However, this was nothing new to him.
Rather, it was a chance to highlight what he has done “all his life,” something he feels he was not given the chance to accomplish in Charlotte.
Report: Brown desires a longer-term contract with the Kings at market value.
NBA fans stunned by the exciting Knicks-76ers Game 2 finale
“I simply didn’t have the same opportunity as other guys.” believe
I believe I was examined,” Monk remarked. I am unsure of the rationale for it. In terms of coaching, I had two different coaches. The first was with me for a brief period of time, and I assumed he would return. In my second season, I was supposed to play backup point guard, but he was sacked.
“A new guy entered and made a lot of empty promises, so I didn’t spend a lot of time in court.” I simply didn’t get the chance, then. But I’m glad they did because it means I can now play here with a chip on my back every time.
This time, Monk used far less overt language, but back in December, when he addressed the Sacramento media, he called
When questioned why the opportunities in Charlotte didn’t materialize, the Hornets staff members were identified specifically.
“I’m not sure. Monk said, “Ask Charlotte.” James Borrego, the previous coach of the Hornets, and Mitch Kupchak, the general manager of the team. Consult those men.
With Charlotte, Monk participated in 233 games and started one. Over the course of four seasons, from 2017 to 2021, he averaged 9.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 17.8 minutes.
Monk may not have developed with the team that drafted him due to a lack of opportunity, but other reasons were also at play.
Monk’s erratic shooting statistics and deteriorating 3-ball, which was his strongest shot before he left college, started to worry many. In his first attempt, he averaged 34.2, 33.0, and 28.4 percent from beyond the arc.
with the Hornets for three seasons. Although he only played 42 games in that season, his fourth and final season was undoubtedly his best.
His absences from notable games (27 in 2022–21) owing to an extended suspension for breaking the NBA’s drug policy, COVID-19, and an ankle injury that kept him out of the game for 30 games in 2021–22 have raised concerns about his availability.
In an interview with NBC Sports California over the phone, John Calipari, the veteran Kentucky coach who recently agreed to a five-year contract to take over as the new head coach at Arkansas, discussed the wild journey that has been Monk’s NBA career.
Coach Cal thinks that Monk was able to experience and appreciate the highs of his career much more since he began it at the bottom of the trip.
“It came so easy for him, out of all the players I’ve coached,” Calipari remarked. That might have had an impact on him early in his career because in that league, if success comes easily, it might be difficult to really develop and reach goals because of the grind and other factors.
“You’re certain to come across it somewhere. In Charlotte, he caught it. It is preferable if you can sample that as soon as possible. Here, too, a few of my guys understand. They won’t be deterred by the ups and downs of this material, so to speak. So in his opinion, he said it correctly.
He had to experience that. And he carried out and what do you know? While some individuals go through it and lose their entire identity and confidence, he emerged from it stronger and still confident.
In a 2021 interview, Monk acknowledged that his immaturity had hindered his development on and off the court, saying he “had to grow up and be a man about everything” and face his reflection in the mirror.
