SACRAMENTO, CA — Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk was a huge spark for his squad in their 124-112 win against the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center on Monday, Jan. 12.
Monk led all reserves in scoring as he scored 26 points in the contest, including 18 points in the second quarter, giving the Kings a much-needed huge boost off the bench.
It’s been an interesting season for Monk.
From a team perspective, the Kings are 10-30 overall, and winners of back-to-back games, something they haven’t accomplished since Nov. 22 and 24 against the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Losing is hard for anyone. But combine that with inconsistent playing time and things can get frustrating for players. However, Monk has remained a consummate pro at his job.
‘I want to play 48 minutes a night, man, always,’ Monk told USA TODAY Sports after their win. ‘Whether I’m out there or not, I’m always going to bring energy, I’m always going to smile and always teach the young guys. It doesn’t matter what’s going on.’
That’s the message the Kings head coach Doug Christie has seemingly sent to his team and no one has exemplified that reminder quite like Monk.
‘We just try to work through it, that’s the best that we can do. The biggest thing is regardless who it is, one of our standards is professionalism,’ Christie told USA TODAY Sports about splitting minutes amongst players. ‘So be professional, cheer your teammate on, its his turn right now, the spotlight is on him, let’s encourage him, let’s be excited for him. That time is going to come for you and I expect the same out of him.’
Monk was a heavy rotational piece towards the beginning of the season, but as the losses piled up Christie had to look in other directions and try different lineups.
It resulted in Monk seeing a major decrease in playing time and even not getting in some games, altogether.
Other Kings guards like Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder moved up in the rotation.
Christie said that it’s a good problem to have.
‘It’s a fantastic problem to have because all of a sudden you have talent you can go in different directions,’ Christie said. ‘Sometimes depending on what the game presents to you, you can coach to that. But it’s a log jam, we’ve known that from the beginning.’
Monk has seen his playing time increase recently following the news about Dennis Schroder and his three-game suspension assessed by the league office after attempting ‘to strike’ Lakers guard Luka Doncic during a feud in the arena hallway following their 125-101 loss to Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena on Dec. 28.
Schroder was suspended for three games which began against the Houston Rockets. In that game, Monk tallied 15 points and three assists in 26 minutes.
Schroder returns against the Washington Wizards on Jan. 16.
It’s not certain whether Monk will see his minutes decrease but his play in the last two games deserves consideration as Monk has averaged 20.5 points, five assists and made a total of nine three-point field goals.
He averages 11.9 points per game on 43% from the field, including 42% from three-point territory in roughly 21.9 minutes of court time.
Monk is in his fourth season with the Kings. He signed with Sacramento in July 2022 and agreed to an extension in 2024 to remain with the team through 2028.
His nine-year career averages are 12.3 points, 3.1 assists on 43% field-goal shooting and 35% from deep.
Monk had his name rumored in trade talks earlier in the season, however those talks have seemingly calmed down, although the Kings look to be sellers as they approach the Feb. 5 trade deadline.