It’s time — once and for all — to decide if Malik Monk has a future with the Hornets
Malik Monk is that student who’s sure he knows the answer, keeps waving his arm, and pleads with the professor to call on him.
“We are two loose balls and a few turnovers away from winning that game and every other” recent Charlotte Hornets loss, shooting guard Monk said. “Simple basketball, man. It’s easy fixes, the mistakes we’ve been making. So if we watch film, get (it) together tomorrow, I think we’ll be all right.”
Monk burns for a chance to be part of the Hornets’ solution. He cracked the rotation in a 116-106 loss to the Indiana Pacers: Seven points and two assists in 14 minutes. This was the first time he played in four games.
The 7-11 Hornets have lost six of their last seven games. Coach James Borrego has played nearly everyone on the roster, searching for combinations that unlock potential. Of late, it’s been star Gordon Hayward and a variety of inconsistent teammates.
‘I’ll take the pressure’
Something must change. Monk wasn’t bashful after the game Wednesday, proclaiming he can be a difference-maker.
“Me!” Monk said with playful bravado. “If we’re going to take the next step, I think it’s all on me. I’ll take the pressure.”
Desperation drives change. Cody and Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels all played their way into and out of Charlotte’s rotation over the first 18 games. Why not give Monk a real five-game audition to see if he could spark a winning streak?
Monk said his outside shooting could help space the floor and his driving ability would add some force to a team that has struggled offensively most of this season.
Unreliable offense was tolerable when the Hornets were playing top-10 defense. Of late, that defense lapsed, as evidenced by the Pacers shooting 51% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.
Flaws exposed
The 11-7 Pacers are everything the Hornets aren’t: A team of experience and continuity built around a budding superstar in Domantas Sabonis. He had triple-double Wednesday. Beyond that, the Pacers’ defense took Hayward out of this game, holding him to four points on 2-of-7 shooting in the second half.
Other than former All-Star Hayward, the Hornets are a collection of maybes. Terry Rozier is next-closest to a complete player. After him, Devonte Graham, P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball are all guys who shine one night and can disappear the next.
Borrego has churned through all this with a different rotation weekly, sometimes daily. He says he won’t settle on one now just to placate critics.
“We’re learning on the fly. There’s not going to be a set rotation for a bit,” Borrego said pre-game. “If you guys are looking for one, I’m not going to give you one in the next couple of days.”
Then, he reinserted Cody Zeller as a starter at center and replaced Caleb Martin with Monk in the second unit.
Both moves made sense. Bismack Biyombo has been overworked since Zeller broke a finger in the opener, and Zeller is the more versatile big man. Monk has been the most under-utilized Hornet this season.
They both played well: Zeller finished with 14 rebounds, one short of matching a career-high. Monk was part of a second-quarter comeback after the Hornets fell behind by 17, making this a competitive game at halftime.
Monk won’t be much help to a defense that has faded of late. But he’s an athletic scorer and playmaker who the other team must constantly account for defensively.
Give him a real shot. Don’t make it one or two games this time.
If, as Borrego said, he’s still experimenting, then find out once and for all if Monk has a future as a Hornet.
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 8:51 AM with the headline "It’s time — once and for all — to decide if Malik Monk has a future with the Hornets."
