After a joyous comeback victory against the Phoenix Suns, the Sacramento Kings now sit at 6-4. However, like every other team in the association (except maybe the Oklahoma City Thunder), the Kings are not without weaknesses.
One of those weaknesses, something we've documented on A Royal Pain before, is their lack of bench depth. As it stands, the Kings are 29th in bench points per game (23.1 PPG) and 28th in total minutes (138) played by bench players.
In that aforementioned Sunday victory against the Suns, the Kings experience a blow that may sink their already damaged unit even further.
Malik Monk injured his ankle in win against Phoenix Suns
In the early portion of the second quarter, Malik Monk – the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year (6MOY) runner-up, went to the deck with what we later learned would be a right ankle injury. Monk did not return to the game.
Malik Monk turned that right ankle on Mason Plumlee’s foot. https://t.co/zwoXGDxjtI
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) November 11, 2024
On Monday, we learned that Monk would not be available for the team's second leg of their back-to-back against the San Antonio Spurs (4-6).
While the recovery time depends largely on how severe the sprain was (in Monk's case, this is something we still don't know), the average length of time missed with an ankle sprain is eight days (according to Hashtag Basketball).
If that's the case, Monk will miss four games and be back for the Kings' game against the Atlanta Hawks on November 18. That may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but in an uber-competitive Western Conference, every game matters.
Monk was doing almost all the heavy lifting for this bench unit. Of the 23.1 points per game they are averaging, Monk was providing 12.6 of it (55%).
Despite winning, we got a first-hand look at how bleak the Kings' bench situation really is. With Monk missing, the Kings tried to give more minutes to Doug McDermott and Jordan McLaughlin. Unfortunately, they couldn't stay on the court very long because of their defensive shortcomings. Look how easily Devin Booker was able to elevate over McLaughlin for his jumper:
The Kings still have Keon Ellis and Trey Lyles. A Royal Pain is a huge fan of Ellis, but he's more of a three-and-D role player than a microwave offensive engine (which is what Monk is). Lyles is normally a good scorer, but he's struggled mightily to start the year (39.1% true shooting).
Hopefully, Monk isn't out for too long, because this Kings team desperately needs his explosive punch.