Malik Monk Scouting Report

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Malik Monk
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Date of Birth: February 4th, 1998

Position: Shooting Guard

College: University of Kentucky

Measurements: 6’3, 197 lbs

 

Strengths:

Malik Monk is the best shooter we have in this draft, and I firmly believe that. He might not have the shooting percentages to show for it, but he’s got a beautiful stroke and release. 39.7% from deep is very good, but for a guy known as ‘the best shooter in the draft’ you would’ve liked it to be a good amount over 40%.

Malik Monk is very skilled when finishing in transition. In these two plays below, you can see how great he is at finishing at the rim on the break:

The first play from Malik Monk is one of my favorite offensive plays from anyone in college this season. Somehow, he was able to keep himself under control throughout the entire drive while still making it all look a bit chaotic. In the 2nd play, you can see Monk finish with a very nice finger roll. The most amazing part of that play is where he jumps from to finish the lay-up. That is clearly some NBA level athleticism from Malik Monk.

Still, even after talking about Monk’s finishing ability, his shooting is what will make or break his career. He showed us against UNC in the NCAA Tournament that he has the clutch gene, but will he carry it over? Only time will tell.

Weaknesses:

Malik Monk is not an elite ball-handler yet and that will cause problems for him. He isn’t a great isolation player because of that fact and will have to thrive off of off-ball movement, coming off of screens, and his teammates’ ability to pass the ball. Only 18.9% of Monk’s made 3-pointers were assisted. His inability to create his own shot is a gigantic concern.

While I’ve said that he is great at finishing in transition, Monk surprisingly has a worse eFG% in transition (51.8%) than he does in half-court sets (55.6%). That’s a very surprising number given his skills.

Risks:

Monk’s biggest risk is his stature. Being 6’3 in today’s NBA is very tough. Especially for a guy who isn’t a lock-down defender by any means at this point. The way for Monk to succeed is his shooting and if he doesn’t continue to shoot above 38% from deep every single season, he may not have been worth the pick. 

Interesting Stat:

Malik Monk is the 1st player to record 750 PTS, 100 3PM, 85+ AST, 35+ STL, and 8+ BLK while shooting above 38% from deep in a single season since Steph Curry in 2009. 

Comparison:

Ben Gordon

Ben Gordon was a very inconsistent player in the league, but if he was hot, he just couldn’t miss. Gordon had a great shot and was a very prolific shooter. Monk has the same potential shooting wise and could even become more consistent than Gordon was. Malik Monk also can become a better finisher at the rim, something Ben Gordon really wasn’t. There is no highly talented player we can really compare Malik Monk to because there have not been any all-star caliber NBA players with his skills given his stature at the shooting guard position.

Draft Prediction:

Between picks 5-10

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