No one has any idea what Doug Christie is doing with Malik Monk or why

When it comes to Doug Christie's coaching style, it seems like a real crap shoot. This has become especially evident in how he's handling Malik Monk. The Sixth Man of the Year candidate has spent a lot of time on the bench recently, and the main reason might be his defense.

Sacramento fans love Malik Monk. Period. He's an absolute rocket off the bench, quickly getting on the board with fast-paced scoring. He has been the heart and soul of the team for a few years, one of the most reliable parts of an otherwise unbalanced roster in need of a rebuild.

Lately, Monk has struggled to find minutes on the floor. Again, this is odd because he is the core of the Kings' bench and usually plays as a regular part of the rotation. This is something that commentators, fans, and even Malik Monk himself cannot seem to reconcile.

Some have theorized that a trade involving Monk is about to go through, but the Kings have said that isn't the case. Doug Christie says Monk is a victim of the logjam at the guard positions, which is entirely possible. There might be a bigger issue here, and it has to do with the current team direction.

Malik Monk is a shooter with the wrong coach

Doug Christie came into his first full season as the Kings' head coach with a mandate to turn the team into a defensive powerhouse. The problem since day one has been that the Kings don't exactly have a lot of players with a defensive mindset. That includes Monk.

Malik does put in the effort on defense, but it's just not his forte. Like Zach LaVine, he is a shooter and a scorer first, and doesn't bring a strong set of defensive skills to the court. Now that they're playing for a coach who is defense over everything else, that's kind of a problem.

It's likely that Malik is riding the bench more simply because Christie is trying to build the Kings' defensive profile, and he is a detriment to that. At the same time, if defense is so important to Christie, you would think Keon Ellis would be a strong part of the rotation. Yet, he isn't.

There's no doubt that defense wins championships. Yet, a team also needs to score points to win, and Malik Monk generally does that quite well. Whatever the reason is for benching Monk, it's hard to justify it given the level of offense he can provide. Until he's traded, he's a King.