One of the most electric players in all of college basketball, Malik Monk is a highlight waiting to happen, and he proved to be the perfect backcourt mate next to Fox thanks to his ability to get buckets off of quick-hitting actions. It's important to know what you're getting in Monk, however, as drafting him as a lead guard of the future could end poorly - his mentality has always been of the score-first and score-second variety, even if he's shown some improvement out of ball screens. He's likely more Zach Lavine, Lou Williams, Monta Ellis than Bradley Beal in terms of style, at least at this stage of his development. Monk is best next to a big point guard who can run the show, and has the size to defend twos, as the Bentonville, Arkansas native lacks the ideal physical tools to check most shooting guards.
Elfrid Payton fits that description, and the Orlando Magic are in dire need of shooting, which could make this a decent marriage for newly appointed executives Jeff Weltman and John Hammond. A lineup of Payton, Monk, Ross/Hezonja, Gordon, and Biyombo/Vucevic, while still not ideal, is certainly intriguing, and Monk would give the Magic the potential 20 point per game scorer it currently lacks.
Whether the Magic are high enough on Monk to take him at six is definitely in question, however, as it appears that Jonathan Isaac has established himself as a top-six player in this draft. Monk could fit next to a bigger, defensive-minded guard, like Kris Dunn (who has some similarities to Payton), but will he defend enough to stay on the floor for Tom Thibadeau? He's also a bit redundant to a LaVine, who is on the last year of his rookie deal next season. That leaves New York, an unpopular destination for any young player nowadays.
Monk would be a fan-favorite next to Porzingis in the Garden, actually fits the Triangle somewhat in that he's best off the ball, and would give the Knicks a perimeter scorer that it's clearly lacking. But for Monk's sake, his lack of point guard skills and so-so decision making could be exploited early on if forced into a high-volume situation, and his defensive habits on a likely losing team don't figure to improve early in his career. Monk may be best sliding to an organization like Dallas that has a coach like Rick Carlisle, who will find creative ways to utilize him as he's had success with players in a similar mold in the past - see Monta Ellis, Jason Terry, Devin Harris.
Monk is a walking bucket and a high level transition athlete, but he'll need the personnel surrounding him to mask some of his shortcomings.
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