Malik Monk

kmjcats24

Junior
Jan 20, 2015
340
398
63
I feel a lot of people are not necessarily sleeping on Monk, but not acknowledging how good or how good he's going to be. Im going to go ahead and call it and say that hes going to be our leading scorer and big time play maker. You can just tell he has that extra hop in his step/stride and can absolutely score the rock. Reminds me a lot of Wade and Rose with a pretty good shot..
 

Jakarii

All-Conference
Jan 29, 2016
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Actually most have said (including the media) have said he will be the leading scorer so he's been getting the acknowledgment
 

Cat Ballou

All-Conference
Mar 23, 2007
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I think people are sleeping on Monk, and they are also sleeping on the scoring potential of Fox. Fox is an elite scoring point guard.

Not sure we won't have more points out if the 1 & 2 position next year than we did last year.
 

Aike

Heisman
Mar 17, 2002
75,424
46,309
90
He has slid down some rankings for no clear reason. Fultz and Jackson have gotten more attention of late.
 

Jakarii

All-Conference
Jan 29, 2016
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He slide because some
Of the other players played better than him during the Allstar game practices. Thad not a slight because all of the scouts said this has been the hardest class to rank and you could move guys up or down and still be right. In the end many said they factored in pro potential in their and NBA team scouts that they talked too. Fultz and Balls size and ability to play the pg right now helped them move up. Right now monk is a undersized sg who has to transistors to pg for the NBA. It's no slight on Monk and they all think he's going to be a impact player in college from day 1
 

akaukswoosh

Hall of Famer
Jan 14, 2006
81,125
124,505
93
I wouldn't get all worked up on 2016 rankings. This class is waaaay too deep to worry about where this or that player is placed in the top 25, maybe the top 40.
 

kmjcats24

Junior
Jan 20, 2015
340
398
63
I guess "sleeping on" was the wrong phrase to use. I just meant with him falling in the rankings and all the talk about Fox and Bam, i feel like Monk is getting a little underestimated. Really looking forward to seeing his all-around game.
 

WallMash

All-Conference
Oct 30, 2009
4,534
2,823
103
One of the best assets to have on your team is a player that can score 20 points so easy that if you didn't look at the stat sheet you kinda thought they probably scored around 10. Murray was that guy. James Young was that guy (but not as awesome as Murray fer sure) I hope Monk is an easy scorer.
 
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slam212121

All-Conference
Nov 25, 2014
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Monk is the real deal. More fluid athlete than Eric Bledsoe. He's the on that'll be a force on the breaks. I believe Bolden not coming will allow UK to be an extremely fast pace offense.
 
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KentuckyCat420

Heisman
Sep 16, 2006
38,891
28,340
72
I think people are sleeping on Monk, and they are also sleeping on the scoring potential of Fox. Fox is an elite scoring point guard.

Not sure we won't have more points out if the 1 & 2 position next year than we did last year.
Nope, they won't be nearly as efficient scorers as Murray and Ulis. I'm actually willing to bet we never have a backcourt as good offensively as those 2 again. Monk and Fox can't shoot like Ulis and Murray and they're not just going to be able to get to the rim non stop the way they could in high school.

Monk will absolutely be our leading scorer, and also lead the team in shot attempts as he's a volume scorer. Fox is going to struggle to score on some nights, he's still learning to how to finish around the rim and his shot is very streaky.

I do believe they have the ability to be our best defensive backcourt we've ever brought in, Fox is going to blow people away with his defensive abilities and I'm truly convinced he will flirt with the single season steals record.
 

Riverslynn010

Senior
May 25, 2009
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Nope, they won't be nearly as efficient scorers as Murray and Ulis. I'm actually willing to bet we never have a backcourt as good offensively as those 2 again. Monk and Fox can't shoot like Ulis and Murray and they're not just going to be able to get to the rim non stop the way they could in high school.

Monk will absolutely be our leading scorer, and also lead the team in shot attempts as he's a volume scorer. Fox is going to struggle to score on some nights, he's still learning to how to finish around the rim and his shot is very streaky.

I do believe they have the ability to be our best defensive backcourt we've ever brought in, Fox is going to blow people away with his defensive abilities and I'm truly convinced he will flirt with the single season steals record.
I agree with fox being a streaky shooter but as far as monk goes, he can fill it up and from anywhere..
 

UKCAT5FAN

All-Conference
May 9, 2010
5,267
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I think people are sleeping on Monk, and they are also sleeping on the scoring potential of Fox. Fox is an elite scoring point guard.

Not sure we won't have more points out if the 1 & 2 position next year than we did last year.


I hope the scoring is more balanced next year. If our guards are scoring more than last year, probably means we are in trouble. We have to get more of a balanced attack if we want to win a championship. We can't have another season of our bigs not scoring.
 
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Riverslynn010

Senior
May 25, 2009
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We struggle in the front court this year, then Cal can't coach... In other words, I'm not worried about that one bit :sunglasses: pretty sure our front court isn't gonna have any problem scoring..
 

coolioo1

Senior
Aug 16, 2011
1,155
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I think we forget what makes Calipari's team special....DEFENSE. This team has the tools to be elite. THe one thing teams didn't say about UK last year was "they are so long". This team is "long" on being "long".

It was not good that we relied so much on Murray and Ulis, offense players can just have bad nights or not be as efficient (see IU game). BUt Defense is typically consistent for all players. No team could make a run against the 2012 team or 2015 team becasue even if we were not scoring the other team couldn't either.
 

Rhavic

Heisman
Dec 15, 2014
33,408
23,826
68
Should be an elite backcourt. Malik Monk will have to go through the same process that Jamal Murray did on his way to becoming the premier 2 guard in the country, and a very elite NBA prospect. Will have to focus more on the defensive end (his ceiling on defense is 10x Jamal Murray's ceiling at that end, I think we'll all agree), because by all accounts, when he's locked in and plays tough defense, he's incredibly difficult (and impossible for some players) to penetrate the lane against.
He'll need to take more efficient shots. When he gets his feet set, he shoots an elite percentage from the NBA 3 point line. That number drops significantly when he shoots off the dribble, but he's still better than pedestrian if he shoots 1 dribble pull-ups. Luckily for him, Calipari will only allow him to shoot off the catch. It's rare (and I mean really rare) that you see an isolation 3 point jumper out of any Kentucky team, and I expect that trend to continue, to the benefit of both Monk and Fox (as they're both known for being much better 3 point shooters off the catch, but especially Monk).
I think Monk offers more than Murray in the ways of both getting to the rim and scoring, and making plays. Should see him log a few minutes at the point this year. Phenomenal playmaking abilities that don't get displayed much. Calipari recognizes that's how he'll make his money in the NBA, so he'll likely get in a good amount of point guard training. The passing ability that Monk possesses though really shocked me in the All-Star circuit. He just needs to focus on making good decisions and winning plays, and he could realistically become the top point guard prospect in the NBA draft while playing 2 guard for us all season long.
He's not going to score as many points as Murray did, obviously. Different kind of team, this one should actually get a good amount of post scoring and I foresee the bigs getting up a lot of 2nd chance points, but Monk could have close to 17 points per game on some really, really good percentages. Like Murray, I expect his numbers to be much better at the season's end than at the beginning due to Monk learning to become a more efficient basketball player, but his ceiling is higher than Murray's due to his range, elite athleticism as it compares to every level of basketball, and overall skill.
 
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TruBluCatFan

Heisman
Dec 21, 2001
19,341
10,176
113
I think people are sleeping on Monk, and they are also sleeping on the scoring potential of Fox. Fox is an elite scoring point guard.

Not sure we won't have more points out if the 1 & 2 position next year than we did last year.
Damn! Bold statement! I like it.
 

slam212121

All-Conference
Nov 25, 2014
4,666
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Without Bolden we average right 80 per game. We are going to be lethal at every spot. And I say our offensive rebounding will be a huge bright spot as well.
 

kentucky_wildcat_#1

All-Conference
Aug 23, 2003
33,780
1,041
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He slide because some
Of the other players played better than him during the Allstar game practices. Thad not a slight because all of the scouts said this has been the hardest class to rank and you could move guys up or down and still be right. In the end many said they factored in pro potential in their and NBA team scouts that they talked too. Fultz and Balls size and ability to play the pg right now helped them move up. Right now monk is a undersized sg who has to transistors to pg for the NBA. It's no slight on Monk and they all think he's going to be a impact player in college from day 1

I don't agree with this at all. That doesn't make sense to me. In all the all star games, i thought Monk looked great being the point guard of his team. He may not have looked as well in practice doing just that, but sometimes players don't look their best in practice and then when the lights come on during the actual games, these same players go out and lead their team to the victory. I know you're not saying this. I'm not confused about that part. I just don't agree with it. I feel good about Monk being able to slide over and play some point guard for us this coming season when Fox is out with foul trouble or just ill. The kid is a scorer and can shoot from anywhere on the court, but when you put the ball in his hands, he still looks comfortable getting others involved in the game. It's easy to tell when a kid can't play a spot on the floor. Monk has the handles and i.q to play point guard at the next level. I understand if the scouts feel a few of these kids have more upside at that spot at the next level, but none of the guards rated higher than Monk other than maybe Jackson are better actual basketball players. I understand and agree somewhat of what the op is saying. Monk is going to be the most complete player on next year's team. He should easily be a top 5 player in this class, even as loaded as it is. The good thing is, no matter how badly the kid is underrated in this recruiting class, it has no effect on his actual basketball skills this coming basketball season.
 
Nov 29, 2015
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I feel a lot of people are not necessarily sleeping on Monk, but not acknowledging how good or how good he's going to be. Im going to go ahead and call it and say that hes going to be our leading scorer and big time play maker. You can just tell he has that extra hop in his step/stride and can absolutely score the rock. Reminds me a lot of Wade and Rose with a pretty good shot..
I've been saying this for awhile. He's the best incoming freshman in college ball. He will contend for wooden award
 
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Jakarii

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This write up couldn't be anymore on point


Should be an elite backcourt. Malik Monk will have to go through the same process that Jamal Murray did on his way to becoming the premier 2 guard in the country, and a very elite NBA prospect. Will have to focus more on the defensive end (his ceiling on defense is 10x Jamal Murray's ceiling at that end, I think we'll all agree), because by all accounts, when he's locked in and plays tough defense, he's incredibly difficult (and impossible for some players) to penetrate the lane against.
He'll need to take more efficient shots. When he gets his feet set, he shoots an elite percentage from the NBA 3 point line. That number drops significantly when he shoots off the dribble, but he's still better than pedestrian if he shoots 1 dribble pull-ups. Luckily for him, Calipari will only allow him to shoot off the catch. It's rare (and I mean really rare) that you see an isolation 3 point jumper out of any Kentucky team, and I expect that trend to continue, to the benefit of both Monk and Fox (as they're both known for being much better 3 point shooters off the catch, but especially Monk).
I think Monk offers more than Murray in the ways of both getting to the rim and scoring, and making plays. Should see him log a few minutes at the point this year. Phenomenal playmaking abilities that don't get displayed much. Calipari recognizes that's how he'll make his money in the NBA, so he'll likely get in a good amount of point guard training. The passing ability that Monk possesses though really shocked me in the All-Star circuit. He just needs to focus on making good decisions and winning plays, and he could realistically become the top point guard prospect in the NBA draft while playing 2 guard for us all season long.
He's not going to score as many points as Murray did, obviously. Different kind of team, this one should actually get a good amount of post scoring and I foresee the bigs getting up a lot of 2nd chance points, but Monk could have close to 17 points per game on some really, really good percentages. Like Murray, I expect his numbers to be much better at the season's end than at the beginning due to Monk learning to become a more efficient basketball player, but his ceiling is higher than Murray's due to his range, elite athleticism as it compares to every level of basketball, and overall skill.
 
Nov 29, 2015
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I think Bam Will end up being that. His mixture of power, athletic ability, quickness for his position plus his motor will be unique.
My thing with monk tho. He has a higher vertical than russell westbrook, unlike russell westbrook he has unlimited range, and a very underrated yet strong part of his game is his passing, the man is a great passer. He has zero weaknesses to his offensive game, and under cal he's going to excel on defense. I like bam and think he will be great, he needs a little more touch to his post moves but he will be great. I just think monk is an all around future NBA All Star type player. Someone with unlimited range, plus hang time 2nd to none, and his passing ability on top of that. Very very rare combination for a guard and I can't wait!
 
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Canned Heat

Heisman
Dec 10, 2006
17,839
24,968
0
In don't think many are sleeping on monk. I believe the gist of most conversations have been who will back him up. I have him starting from day one along with Bam and Fox. Honestly, I just don't know enough about SKJ or Gabriel. Freshman will be freshman occasionally and we just worry about depth behind them. More importantly, an option when will have to play small ball and try to play with three guard lineupslineups
 

jrpross_rivals

Heisman
Feb 21, 2008
17,560
36,102
113
I'm REALLY looking forward to Monk. I think he & Bam are the only absolute locks to start. He'll have a lot more scoring from his frontcourt so he won't get 20 a game like Murray did. But he should get 15+ and he'll be a regular on SC Top 10.

And like Murray, I think Cal will help him learn when to shoot & when not to. Wouldn't be surprised if he started off the season at 28% from 3 and ended up in the mid-high 30's.
 
Nov 29, 2015
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I'm REALLY looking forward to Monk. I think he & Bam are the only absolute locks to start. He'll have a lot more scoring from his frontcourt so he won't get 20 a game like Murray did. But he should get 15+ and he'll be a regular on SC Top 10.

And like Murray, I think Cal will help him learn when to shoot & when not to. Wouldn't be surprised if he started off the season at 28% from 3 and ended up in the mid-high 30's.
Fox is a for sure starter and I think skj will start over Gabriel but it's a toss up between the 2. Maybe both start. Would love to see a lineup of.

1. Fox (lock to start)
2. Monk (lock to start)
3. SKJ
4. Wenyen Gabriel
5. Bam (lock to start)

The center spot is a little short but the collective size and quickness from the 3-5 position will be a nightmare for opposing teams, especially on the boards. Fox and Monk have great size and athleticism so all around I expect a great rebounding team even from the gaurds. I think the all freshman lineup might be our best and most effective lineup. But I do expect willis to start and maybe Humph.
 

Cornered Weasel

All-Conference
Nov 25, 2009
28,098
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I think Monk will be one of those rare players that will be able to totally take over a game when asked to.
 

_Rooster

Heisman
Jan 29, 2003
9,607
79,236
0
MVPs

 
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UKCAT5FAN

All-Conference
May 9, 2010
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This write up couldn't be anymore on point

Well, could be just a bit. I agree with most everything he said in that post except that Monk is a better scorer than Murray. I don't think that's true. Monk is definitely a better athlete and hands down better at getting by defenders to get to the rim but I don't think he is a better overall scorer than Murray.

I also dont see Monk being the best PG prospect by the end of the year. He may see a lot more time at point if Briscoe decides to leave but if he comes back, I don't think he will see much time at point. Not to say that he couldn't play the position but I just don't see Cal giving him enough minutes at point to really make that kind of a case for him. I would expect Briscoe to get any minutes that Fox doesn't eat up at point. Cal has never had that kind of backcourt in the past and I don't see him changing it this year. Again, if Briscoe leaves then I would say Monk sees a lot more time at point but even then I don't see him getting enough minutes there to make him the top PG prospect in the draft. Just don't see that. But hell, I've been wrong before. Lol
 
Nov 29, 2015
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Well, could be just a bit. I agree with most everything he said in that post except that Monk is a better scorer than Murray. I don't think that's true. Monk is definitely a better athlete and hands down better at getting by defenders to get to the rim but I don't think he is a better overall scorer than Murray.

I also dont see Monk being the best PG prospect by the end of the year. He may see a lot more time at point if Briscoe decides to leave but if he comes back, I don't think he will see much time at point. Not to say that he couldn't play the position but I just don't see Cal giving him enough minutes at point to really make that kind of a case for him. I would expect Briscoe to get any minutes that Fix doesn't eat up at point. Cal has never ran that kind of backcourt in the past and I don't see him changing it this year. Again, if Briscoe leaves then I would say Monk sees a lot more time at point but even then I don't see him getting enough minutes there to matter enough to make him the top PG prospect in the draft. Just don't see that. But hell, I've been wrong before. Lol
Bledsoe and wall was a lineup with 2 points. Why can't you have 2 on the floor? Point is moot though Considering monk is a 2G. Monk is a helluva passer so whether he's running point or not (he prolly will run zero point considering he's a 2 gaurd), he going to make a hell of an impact getting other involved and finding teammates for easy buckets. The passing ability of Fox and Monk will be lethal. Best backcourt in country hands down.
 
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Sep 8, 2009
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One of the best assets to have on your team is a player that can score 20 points so easy that if you didn't look at the stat sheet you kinda thought they probably scored around 10. Murray was that guy. James Young was that guy (but not as awesome as Murray fer sure) I hope Monk is an easy scorer.
I agree but i think monk is one of those guys that will score, and you will know it. Frankly, i think monk and bam might be such a combo, that you could take those 2 and plug in role players and contend. Fortunatly, we have more than role players to support them!
 

UKCAT5FAN

All-Conference
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Bledsoe and wall was a lineup with 2 points. Why can't you have 2 on the floor? Point is moot though Considering monk is a 2G. Monk is a helluva passer so whether he's running point or not (he prolly will run zero point considering he's a 2 gaurd), he going to make a hell of an impact getting other involved and finding teammates for easy buckets. The passing ability of Fox and Monk will be lethal. Best backcourt in country hands down.


That's completely irrelevant. Plus, I didn't say anything of that sort. I never said there couldn't be 2 PGs on the court at the same time. Even so, only 1 of those players can run the offense at a time and most of the time its that same player runs that offense the majority for Cal. He doesn't do a PG by committee is my point. Bledsoe may have been a PG by trade but John Wall ran the offense and was the featured PG on the team. I just don't see Monk getting enough time at PG to make him the top PG prospect in the draft. Do you disagree with that? Because that's all I was saying in my post. Yes, he is a great passer and will showcase that skill I'm sure but thats irrelevant. That alone is not going to put him at the top of the list for PGs in the 2017 draft. He will need to have a lot of time running the show in order to achieve that spot and it's just not going to happen with Cal. Do you not agree with that? Cause again, that's all I was saying.