Sixers

The Case For Malik Monk

By Kyle Scott

Published: Jun 14th, 2017 · 12:00 PM EDT

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Jonathan Tjarks brings out an excellent case for Malik Monk, who’s working out with the Sixers tomorrow, to be the number three pick in the draft, citing his very narrow role at Kentucky. From The Ringer:

Monk would hardly be the first Wildcat unable to show everything he could do under John Calipari. Since Cal came to Lexington, he has made bringing in all-star teams an annual tradition. In seven seasons, he has had 28 players drafted in the NBA, including 14 lottery picks, and he will likely have three more (Monk and fellow freshmen Fox and Bam Adebayo) taken this year. Most college players change their game to adjust to playing with more talent in the NBA. Cal’s players have the opposite problem. Eric Bledsoe went from being an average spot-up shooter in college to a star point guard in the NBA. Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the most versatile offensive big men in the league, played almost exclusively out of the low post at Kentucky. Two seasons after being a shooting specialist who came off the bench on a team that went 38–1, Devin Booker scored 70 points in an NBA game.

Calipari’s recruiting philosophy has always been to go after as many elite prospects as possible and then figure out how they all fit together once they get to campus. For the most part, his teams are able to overwhelm opponents with the sheer weight of their combined length and athleticism, even if the skill sets of his best players don’t complement each other all that well. One of the common problems on many of his teams at Kentucky has been a lack of perimeter shooting, and that was especially glaring this season, when Monk was often the only Wildcat on the floor who defenses respected from behind the 3-point line. He will never be in a situation like that in the NBA, and playing with more skilled perimeter players around him could allow him to diversify his game.

But if history and team makeup aren’t your thing, try this one on for size:

As Kevin Pelton explained in an article about Steph Curry last week, the pull-up 3 pointer is becoming an increasingly important weapon in today’s game. The vast majority of the NBA’s top point guards have it in their arsenal, and among the guards in this year’s draft, only Markelle Fultz is a better shooter off the dribble than Monk. The team that drafts Fox will have to develop his outside shot in order to maximize his ability to run a team and get to the rim, but it might be easier for Monk to leverage his already-elite jumper to improve as a slasher and passer. While Monk will never be as comfortable a playmaker as guys like Fox and Dennis Smith Jr., he should be a much better fit on NBA teams who don’t need their point guard to dominate the ball.

That’s the Sixers. 100%.

Monk is far from the stationary shooter most people think he is. While not a great ballhandler or playmaker, he is a tremendous athlete who has plenty of ability to play above the rim and in the open court. And again, after watching the Warriors-Cavs series, I can’t imagine a scenario where an NBA team wouldn’t benefit by having a guy like Monk hurling them from deep.

I really like Josh Jackson – like, a lot – and a Jackson-Lowry combo would still be my preferred offseason scenario, but I have no problem with the Sixers coming out of this draft with Monk, regardless of where they take him.