Bill Simmons thinks NBA scouts are sleeping on Monk

In his Trade Deadline Mailbag for The Ringer, Bill Simmons was asked by Danny in Phoenix if and when everyone will stop salivating over Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball and come to realize Malik Monk is the best prospect in the draft.

Simmons replies with the very good point that Monk is a lights-out shooter, the NBA has turned to a shooter's league and Monk thrives on the big stage, among others reasons.

"I love that he’s five spots too low on every list," writes Simmons.

Read the entire response:

BS: Don’t jinx it! This is working out perfectly: he’s a lights-out shooter with 25-foot range, A-plus footwork and a real sense of the Moment (a la Steph at Davidson) – someone who couldn’t be more perfect for the way everyone plays professional basketball in 2017. You want your team to stretch the floor, play the math and shoot 40 3s a game so you can hang with the Rockets, Warriors and Celtics? In the words of John Bender (dated ’80s reference!), I know someone who would be OUTSTANDING in that capacity.

But wait, he’s a little too short for a 2-guard and might not be able to defend bigger guards? (Didn’t we already go through that two-inches-too-short crap with C.J. McCollum and Avery Bradley?) Oh, and Monk doesn’t rebound! (Who the eff would draft Malik Monk to help their rebounding???) Let’s dwell on that stuff instead of stuff like “The bigger the crowd, the bigger he plays,” “By all accounts, he’s the first guy at practice and the last guy to leave” and “Maybe it’s a good idea to take a freaky-good shooter/scorer during an era when everyone wants shooting and scoring?” I love that he’s five spots too low on every list. Let’s drop Monk out of the top five and throw a massive chip on his shoulder that Monk can lug around for the next 12 years as he’s dropping 3s on everyone. I heard he’s actually 6-foot-1 and wears lifts. [The Ringer]

As Simmons notes, Monk, a self-described animal, is the type of guy who would seek vengeance (and find it) on whatever teams pass him up on draft night. For all the good in Fultz and Ball and Smith and whoever else may go ahead of him, I'd be terrified of what Monk could do to me if I didn't take him if given the opportunity.