BBNBA Season in Review: Malik Monk

Malik Monk’s career got off to a rocky start that sent him to the brink of the league heading into this season. He responded with a career year and proved he belongs in the NBA.

Here is how his 2020-21 season played out:

Numbers

Season averages (per game): 11.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.5 steals

Shooting splits: 43.4% FG, 81.9% FT, 47.1% 2P, 40.1% 3p on 5 attempts per game

More (extra & interesting) stats:

• Had a career-high 36 point game
• 53.1% of shots came from three
• Missed 30 games due to COVID and injuries
• Averaged 16.6 points in February

This past season

After struggling mightily with consistency on and off the court, Malik Monk finally went through a bit of a breakthrough this past year.

Like I talked about with P.J. Washington, his raw per-game averages didn’t take a massive jump, but how he got those numbers and the increase in efficiency made him a much more productive player than the past few years.

Monk averaged one more point per game this year than last year while keeping his other numbers virtually the same, with his field goal percentage being exactly at 43.4% for both. So, how’d he get better?

It all comes down to one stat, really. In the modern era, it’s one of the most important: Three-point shooting! It was his defining skill in college and perhaps his biggest weak spot in the NBA until this season, which explains a lot of his struggles early on in his career.

He shot 34% from three as a rookie, 33% as a second-year guy and 28% in 2020. But in 2021, he rebounded. Monk converted over 40% of his threes on five attempts per game and was the team’s deadliest shooter from deep when he played.

That right there is it. It’s Monk’s leap. He never needed to be a defensive ace or learn how to be a point guard. He just needed to start knocking down shots. He was nearly the exact same player in every other facet of the game, he just hit 12% more of his threes.

That’s the modern NBA. If you can fire off five threes a game and make two of ’em, you’ll play for a very, very long time.

Shooting can be volatile in any given game or stretch of games, but 42 games and over 200 three-point attempts make Monk’s jump in shooting statistically significant, and not a fluke. He got more consistent, which means he focused and worked his tail off to improve in the offseason.

Since they didn’t get to go to the bubble last fall, Monk went nearly 11 months without playing an NBA basketball game. That break may be what turned his career around.

Before the pandemic hit, Monk was already not playing basketball. In February of 2020, he was suspended by the NBA due to violations of their anti-drug rules. Folks, he wasn’t on steroids or any sort of PEDs; his suspension fit the NBA’s Stage 1 for “Drugs of Abuse” — which, essentially, includes recreational drugs other than marijuana (like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, etc.)

Malik was at a critical point last summer. He had off the court issues that led to a suspension, then a pandemic shut down the world. He told The Ringer’s Paolo Uggetti that he had a panic attack shortly after the NBA halted play (that whole piece by Uggetti is really great, 10/10 would advise you to check it out).

Then, last December, ahead of the 2021 season, he tested positive for COVID in the same week that his grandmother died from it, which obviously affected Malik a lot.

That’s about as rough a year as he could have. Plus, he was heading into the final year of his contract, and given his first few years, a drastic improvement was necessary if he was going to earn an extension in Charlotte.

Monk was grieving a dead loved one, dealing with COVID and faced a make-or-break year on a basketball court he hadn’t seen in 10 months due to personal mistakes. The weight of the world was on his shoulders.

But he responded. He worked his tail off in his extended off time and came back as the reliable dead-eye shooter everyone pegged him as when he was drafted.

I don’t know what or when things flipped for him last summer, but he was a completely different player in 2021. I mentioned his numbers aside from three-point shooting were identical, but like with Washington, these were two guys who had never played for a good team, yet still found a way to be productive on a playoff contender, and that’s a huge step for any player.

Looking ahead…

After scorching the nets for 40.1% from three, Malik Monk will be getting a second contract in the NBA. Given that his role wasn’t enormous and he doesn’t offer a ton other than shooting, it may not be a big one, but there is an NBA team that will sign Monk.

He finished up his four-year rookie scale contract this year and enters restricted free agency, meaning he can sign a contract with whomever he pleases but Charlotte can match that contract and keep him if they wish.

Whether Monk stays with Charlotte or not is completely up in the air. I would guess Charlotte would like to have him back given they stuck by the kid through the thickest and thin, but Monk will likely test the waters for other offers.

I think it will come down to how big his other contract offers are. With his general talent and his development this past season still at age 23, some team will be willing to invest in him. If teams like Detroit or Orlando come in and offer more than $10 million a year to him, Charlotte probably won’t match. If the best offer he can find pays a little less, Charlotte probably matches and keeps him.

As for his game, I love the fit and environment in Charlotte. Right now, they’re young overachievers and seem to have awesome chemistry between their young guys. Monk and former Michigan State star Miles Bridges found a nice connection coming off the bench this year.

Both would come in as instant offense, with Bridges throwing down viral dunks at every opportunity and Monk splashing threes.

They’re building something cool in Charlotte, and I hope Malik continues to be a part of it. He certainly proved he’s capable. On the other hand, would Monk thrive as the guy for a worse team? I don’t know, but it would certainly be fun to watch.

On your way out, do yourself a favor and revisit this old gem.