Why Malik Monk may disappoint Sacramento Kings fans in 2024-25
By Mat Issa
Over the last two years, Malik Monk has established himself as a fan favorite for the Sacramento Kings. That's why everyone was so ecstatic when he decided to re-sign with them for way less money and way sooner than he had to.
Given that he'll now be making 78 million dollars over the next four years (per Spotrac), fans probably have some huge expectations for his counting statistics. But it would be wise for those people to adjust their expectations for Monk.
Why Malik Monk's Numbers Will Go Down
Last season, Monk averaged 21.1 points per 75 possessions (87th percentile) and an assist percentage of 29.1% (94th percentile, per Dunks & Threes). However, there was a pretty drastic change in his scoring and playmaking when he was sharing the floor with De'Aaron Fox compared to when the Kings star guard was on the bench.
With/Without Fox | Points per 75 | Assists per 75 |
|---|---|---|
With Fox | 18.9 | 6.1 |
Without Fox | 24.8 | 8.6 |
As you can see from the chart above, Monk's scoring and playmaking volume drastically improves when Fox is on the bench. This matters because now the Kings also have DeMar DeRozan – another on-ball creator who will take touches from Monk.
Last season, Monk spent 787 of his 1782 minutes without Fox (42%). That really helped juice his per-game numbers (15.4 PPG and 5.1 APG). Now, Monk will spend even less time without any other creators on the floor since almost all his minutes will likely feature one (or both) of Fox or DeRozan.
This isn't to say that Monk can't play alongside those guys. Monk was in the 87th percentile in 3-point attempts per 75 – a telltale sign of his ability to space the floor (remember, when it comes to spacing, 3-point volume is more important than 3-point efficiency).
What we are trying to say is that if you look at Monk's box score stats this season, it may look like he is playing worse because he won't have the opportunities to juice his numbers the way he did last year. So, it may seem like he is underperforming coming off a new deal.
But regardless of what the numbers say, Monk will be money for us, just like he always has been.
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