malik-monk-hd.jpg

5 - Malik Monk

6-3, 200 Shooting Guard
Kentucky Freshman
Birthday
02/04/98 (26.1 yrs)
Hometown
Lepanto, AR
High School
Bentonville
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
9
Size
7
Defense
7
Strength
7
Quickness
9
Leadership
7
Jump Shot
9
NBA Ready
8
Ball Handling
7
Potential
8
Passing
7
Intangibles
8

NBA Comparison: Louis Williams/Eric Gordon

Strengths: Explosive guard who is one of the more adept scorers in his class … Has great touch on his shot and has been deadly from long-range off the bounce and catch … Great elevation while shooting, has ability to shoot off of screens while also being able to freeze the defense off a hesitation dribble … Jumps really well off of both feet, though also a strong single foot jumper as well … Dangerous in transition and the open floor, can score above the rim and is tough to stop if given space … Has shot an highly efficient mark from short, mid and long-range jump shooting, currently making 3.1 3PT shots per game at 40% (61-153) … Adept at the two, three dribble pull-up, has tools to create some of his own offense … Has solid lateral quickness and good feet, gets most of his steals playing the passing lanes and can cover ground … Even as a high volume scorer, plays within himself and has been a willing passer … Plays bigger than his size, despite being undersized his athleticism does some things to make up for it … Likely close to 200 lbs, is strong and has a chance to build body over time … Really nice arc on his shot, most of his misses are pretty close and lead to better possibility of offensive rebound opportunities … Conditioning is very good, shows solid energy throughout games … Near 50% FG, 40% 3PT and shooting 83% FT, strong shooting indicators along with the speed and athleticism that lead to his immediate boost on the offensive end … On a very talented team, has efficiently and comfortably taken on a major scoring role, talent seems to shine through even among the best … Has to be taken into account past three-point line, will stretch the floor and should be incredibly confident shooting from NBA 3PT range … While he has done his best job defensively off the ball, has tools to be a much better on-ball defender … Gets low in stance and when he is focused he shows some defensive intensity … He does play with two point guards, which could lead to questions of whether he could improve his assist rate if given a bit more of time on the ball offensively … Looks to be a hard worker, strong communicator and solid teammate

Weaknesses: Certainly best as a scoring guard, though at around 6’3 with a 6’6 wingspan, definitely would be considered undersized and could struggle defending bigger guards … While some have referred to him as a combo guard, he is not particularly comfortable setting up the offense and does not really show the vision of a primary handler … Can be a bit loose with his handle and decision making, not entirely comfortable beyond a few dribbles creating for himself … Low FT rate, while he scores from all three levels does not get to the basket often enough and can be thrown off by contact … Has struggled defending at the point of attack and on-ball, one might not be sure how versatile he is as a defender … Low steal and block rates, as well as surprisingly low rebound rate given his explosive athleticism …  Has not shown much ability in the pick-and-roll, once again leading to questions about his translating to a lead guard … Seems to be heavily reliant on his shooting at this point, which leads to questions about what he brings to the table if his shot is not falling … Has not been asked to do much off of the cut, which one might think he would be more involved in given his athletic gifts … Very little of his scoring has happened close to the basket off of the dribble, has needed someone to create those opportunities for him … As great as he has proven to be as a shooter in his freshman year, he was just an average shooter throughout his high school career, adding some skepticism about his incredible shooting accuracy at Kentucky …

Notes: Committed to Kentucky over Arkansas, Kansas, and Oregon Nov 18, 2015 … Measured 6’3.5 (with shoes) 171 lbs with a 6’6 wingspan at the 2013 LeBron James Skills Academy … Measured 6’3.5 (in shoes) 180 lbs, with a 6’6 wingspan at the 2014 Nike Guard Skills Academy … Measured 6’3.5’’ in shoes, with a 6’6’’ wingspan and 187 lbs at the 2015 Nike Basketball Academy … Brother, Marcus Monk, was a wide receiver at University of Arkansas and drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2008 … Won the McDonald’s All-American three-point contest, while also being named to the Jordan Brand Classic, while being named Arkansas’ 2016 Mr. Basketball … played in the 2014 and 2015 Nike Global Challenge … scored EYBL record 59 points in 2014, including 10 three-point makes … Ranked #9 in the final high school class of 2016 RCSI rankings … Measured to have a 40”+ vertical leap, has ability to make explosive finishes at the basket … Averaging 21.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.4 apg in 30.3 mpg through 20 games into his freshman season at Kentucky … Shooting splits right now are 49.8% FG, 39.9% 3PT and 82.9% FT … 2nd in points per game among qualified freshmen, though first in points per minute … Shot 32.1% 3PT in 2014 EYBL and 36.7% 3PT in 2015, as his shooting has improved dramatically to the point where he has been among the elite in terms of efficiency on a per possession basis … Still has scored quite a bit in transition, dangerous in the open floor … His shooting in isolation scenarios has been a strong aspect of his game, shoots really well off both dribble and spotting up off the catch … Scored a Kentucky freshman record 47 points in a thrilling 103-100 win over North Carolina, hitting the go ahead three pointer with 19 seconds remaining, down by two … Seen as possibly being a one-dimensional player, though scoring is always an important skill and Monk is incredibly adept at it … Could become one of the more dangerous shooters in the NBA with the indications shown during his freshman season … A likely lottery lock with a strong possibility of being among the top 10 picks in the 2017 NBA Draft

Michael Visenberg 1/29/17

Strengths: 6’3 combo guard … High level athlete with explosive leaping ability, plays well above the rim. Has good body control, adjusts well in midair. Excels in transition and plays well in the half court … Quick first step … Possesses good scoring instincts. Shoots well from different spots on the floor as well as off the dribble. Can get to the rim and be effective as a slasher … Creates offense for himself as well as teammates without over dribbling. More of a scoring guard but is developing as a playmaker. Sees the floor well and a very willing passer. Feeds the post well and passes out of drives. He can be effective regardless of who he shares the backcourt with due to his ability to alter his playing style. Scores for himself but knows how to play without the ball in his hands. Plays within the flow of the game, doesn’t force offense or let the game get away from him … Rebounds very well for a guard … Can impact the game in multiple statistical categories … Good perimeter defender. Good understanding of positioning and has the lateral speed to be effective …

Weaknesses: Monk’s developing his lead guard skills but is naturally more of an undersized scorer. Still in the process of developing his awareness of when to turn it on as a scorer and when to distribute. He can play to his strengths more, recognizing mismatches and exposing the weak link in the defense can improve … Sometimes trying too hard to run the point, passing to other players to finish in transition while he would be better off finishing himself … Can be streaky as a shooter, can improve upon consistency …

Outlook: Monk is one of the most exciting players in the 2016 high school class. He will provide a one-two punch in the backcourt next year at Kentucky along with De’Aaron Fox. With the right development and improvement upon his weaknesses, he has room to move up the draft board. Monk was MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Global Challenge while leading his team to the championship.

Evan Tomes 7/1/16

March 29, 2016

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