Charlotte Hornets: 5 reasons Malik Monk was a great pick

Charlotte Hornets: 5 reasons why Malik Monk was a great pick

By Joe Hulbert | Jun 27, 2017

Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Malik Monk (Kentucky) shows off the inside of his suit jacket as he is introduced as the number eleven overall pick to the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Malik Monk (Kentucky) is introduced as the number eleven overall pick to the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

4. He improves the bench

One of the major reasons the Hornets fell away towards the end of the season, was because their bench was simply not up to scratch. Their bench ranked 22nd in three-point percentage, and they ranked 19th in net rating, which simply wasn’t good enough to hold onto a playoff spot.

Monk is unlikely to be a day one starter as the Hornets will probably make him work toward that role, but he has a legitimate chance at winning Sixth man of the Year as such a high-powered player who will get a variety of looks in the Hornets’ offense.

The starting lineup of Kemba Walker, Nic Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller had a net rating of +6.0, which was one of the highest among NBA starting lineups, so it is clear that the bench is what stopped the Hornets from being a playoff team.

With Zeller dropping to the bench behind Dwight Howard and Malik Monk arriving, the Hornets bench could go from being mediocre, to being among the best in the NBA.

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