Tag: Malik Monk

Malik Monk’s game-winner caps off stunning comeback for Hornets vs. Kings

In The Miracle After Midnight II, the Hornets pulled off another stunning comeback against the Kings in Sacramento on Sunday.

Buried not-so-deep in the lore of the Hornets is a memorable night dubbed The Miracle After Midnight from 2016 where an undermanned Charlotte team pulled off an improbable double-overtime win in Sacramento on the back of a huge performance off the bench from Troy Daniels.

Sunday was the rare example of the sequel being better than the original.

Without three starters and trailing by eight points with 53 seconds left, even a Hornets team as resilient as any looked dead in the water. Instead, The Miracle After Midnight II saw Malik Monk cap off his own 21-point performance off the bench and a Hornets comeback with an and-one layup with 1.4 seconds left to earn a 127-126 win.

“It goes back to that term of resiliency, never dropping the sword, never giving in,” head coach James Borrego said. “We fight to the final second and we literally do that. This is that type of group. This is the character we have. We found a way.

“We got a little bit of help tonight. They helped us out. You have to get a little bit fortunate at times. They had to miss some free throws to help us out but we found a way. One way or another, down three starters, on the road, we found a way to win and just proud of our group.”

P.J. Washington’s career-high 42 points made the frenetic final minute possible and he had a hand in the late rally. Trailing by eight points without the ball, LaMelo Ball blocked Marvin Bagley and Monk found Terry Rozier for his first and only 3-pointer of the night.

After Bagley missed a pair of free throws, Rozier would be fouled on a 3-pointer on Charlotte’s next possession with 33.9 seconds left. He would knock down all three and cut the deficit to just 123-121.

De’Aaron Fox would score on the next Kings possession, but only ran 10 seconds off the clock. Washington responded with the final three of his 42 points, making it a one-point game with 17 seconds left. On the final Sacramento possession, Hield, an 85.2% free throw shooter, split a pair of free throws, giving Charlotte a chance to tie or win the game.

Monk chose the latter, driving past Cory Joseph at the top of the key and using Washington’s pop to the 3-point line as a decoy to get to the rim and finish through Richaun Holmes’ foul, tying the game with 1.4 seconds left. His ensuing free throw gave Charlotte the lead and Hield’s half-court effort came up short, sealing an improbable win.

“It was a play for me or P.J,” Monk said of the final sequence. “I told Melo to pass it to P.J.. He was like ‘Nah, you get it’ and so I had to make something happen and that’s what happened.

“That’s all we’ve been doing all year man is battle, battle, battle. Coach always says resiliency and that’s what we showed tonight, man. P.J., it was big from P.J. P.J. kept us in the game all night and that win really goes to P..J. I give that to P..J.”

Washington indeed stepped up on a night when Gordon Hayward and Cody Zeller joined Devonte’ Graham on the sideline as late scratches, leaving just Ball and Rozier as the holdovers in the starting lineup. Given a larger role offensively, Washington was dominant throughout, scoring 14 points in the second quarter and 12 in the fourth with five 3-pointers.

“He stays with it,” Borrego said. “He’s not hanging his head. He knows we believe in him. He believes in himself. Tonight, he got more touches. He was more involved. P.J.’s a heck of a player. He’s a talented young man and you saw that tonight. He let it fly. He was aggressive.

“P.J.’s not hanging his head this season,” he continued. “He’s working through it and really proud of his effort tonight. He was fantastic. He got us through this one. This is P.J. Washington’s win tonight. He was fantastic.”

“I felt good,” Washington added. “It always feels good when you’re shots falling. When your shots falling, you want to shoot more. So, I just tried to be aggressive with my shots and try to take good shots and whenever my teammates found me, I tried to make the defense pay with either making a layup, making a three or passing out to somebody that’s open.”

Ball was vital on the night as well, particularly with Rozier struggling throughout the night and finishing with just eight points. Ball notched 14 points and eight assists in the first half as part of his 24-point, 12-assist performance in 39 minutes, tying a career-high.

“I thought Melo was good tonight,” Borrego said. “I thought he was a little gassed, though. I mean, this is tough. Nineteen years old playing this many minutes, he’s getting everybody’s best shot. He’s at the top of everybody’s scouting report at an early age of 19. They’re hounding him. They got full pressure on him and he’s handled it with maturity and poise and I thought he was great again tonight.

“I thought tonight was a very mature game by him. And I wish I could have played him more but I guess 38 (minutes) will do.

Even if Sunday’s game wasn’t the first improbable comeback on this West Coast road trip, let alone the season as a whole, it will almost certainly be the most memorable. It pulls the Hornets to an even 2-2 on the road trip, one game shy of .500 on the season and back into the eighth seed in a tight Eastern Conference playoff picture.

“We’re all young and it’s crazy that we are this young and we can battle with every team to the end of the game and be able to come out on top with a lot of games,” Monk said. “It’s just us being together, talking to each other and we’re just having fun out there, really.”

Malik Monk credits LaMelo Ball as a reason for late-game Hornets success

Following the Hornets win over the Suns, Malik Monk pointed to LaMelo Ball as one of the reasons for the team’s late-game success this year.

In Wednesday’s win over the Phoenix Suns, the Charlotte Hornets continued their brilliance in late-game situations, executing down the stretch to secure a comeback victory. The execution in clutch situations wasn’t new. The Hornets have established themselves as arguably the best team in the league in clutch situations.

After the game, Malik Monk pointed to LaMelo Ball as one of the primary reasons for the Hornets’ late-game success.

“Melo can pass, man,” Monk said.” He’s going to find us. Gordon’s always stepping up making big plays. (Rozier) always making big plays. And Melo, man, Melo just finds everybody. He finds you at the right time, too. The pass isn’t late? He’ll turn it over every now and then, but he’s going to find you for the most part. That’s what we feed off of.

“Him, Rozier And Gordon, they all make big plays down the stretch, as well. So it is all together and we don’t bow our heads man and give up on each other either so that’s a big part.”

Counting Wednesday’s win, the Hornets are first in the league by some margin in net rating in clutch situations. Their rating of 51.4 is well ahead of the Sixers in second (34.6) and Orlando in third (23.4).

Individually, the Hornets have had success across the board this season. No player has a negative rating in clutch situations for Charlotte. Ball, who Monk singled out, has a net rating of 44.4 while Devonte’ Graham (70.3), Gordon Hayward (52.2) and Terry Rozier (47.9) have flourished in late-game situations.

Clutch situations have been something of an emphasis for head coach James Borrego in practice this season.

“This is where you win on the margins,” Borrego said. “You can help your team win on the margins on end-of-game situations. To me, I believe that’s where my job is most important is down the stretch and fourth quarters, end-of-game execution. That’s what I’m paid to do is get our guys ready for those moments, and they’ve been responsive and attentive in those moments. And we’re still not where we want to be. I do think we’re the best team execution-wise down the stretch and our guys deserve the credit, but we still got a number of things that we’d like to install and get better at as we go and we’re learning on the fly.

“Even tonight, for us to execute a few things down the stretch, our guys are learning on the fly,” he added. “It’s to their credit because we’ve not been together very long. This is not like we’re a seasoned group that’s been through the playoffs together and we felt these end-of-game situations. We’re literally talking this out on the fly in timeouts and some practices and there just hasn’t been a whole lot of that. So, I give our guys all the credit in the world for the way they’ve handled themselves, especially in clutch situations.”

While the Hornets don’t have quite the sample size of most teams in clutch situations, ranking 26th in minutes at 42, they have had 10 games feature clutch situations, which is described as a game within five points with five minutes or fewer left. Their 10 games rank sixth in the league, making up for the limited total minutes.

Conventional wisdom suggests the Hornets will come down to Earth in clutch situations, but Charlotte’s work this season and the evidence so far suggests late-game situations will be one of the strengths of the team moving forward.

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Hornets remain brilliant clutch situations as Malik Monk, LaMelo Ball shine in comeback win

Wednesday was a microcosm of Charlotte’s seasons as they fought back on the road to earn a big comeback victory against the Suns.

Head coach James Borrego acknowledged that Wednesday was a microcosm of the Hornets season. First, the team fell behind by double digits early to a hot-shooting Phoenix Suns team, trailing by as many as 17 points in the second quarter.

But with their backs against the wall, the Hornets resiliency – the word of the season – showed brightest. Malik Monk drug the Hornets back into the game in the second period, scoring 20 straight points for Charlotte to help cut the deficit to just one point by halftime.

Then, the visitors opened up the second half with the first seven points to take the lead and grab control of the game. Finally, they relied on their continued excellence in clutch situations as LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward and Monk all but four of the team’s points in the fourth quarter as Charlotte earned an improbable – another word associated with the team this year – win over the Suns, 124-121.

“This has been a microcosm of our season,” Borrego said. “We look like we’re down, we’re defeated, we’re out. We keep fighting, finding a way to fight back and compete. This team competes as hard as anybody in the league. I believe that. Tonight’s a great example against a fantastic Phoenix Suns team. That’s a heck of a team over there. Maybe the hottest team with Utah in the NBA.

“So, to come in here on the road to play this well, after being down 17, it’s just a credit to my guys in that locker room,” he continued. “They deserve the credit. They stuck with it. And Malik deserves a lot of credit (with) the way he handled himself to get to this point. His first half was impressive. He kept us in it with his scoring.

“But a lot of guys contributed to that, not just Malik. So, great team effort, but really proud of the group. Again, resiliency is the key for us.”

As the team’s top two leading scorers in Terry Rozier and Hayward struggled to 10-of-28 shooting on the night including 1-of-10 from 3-point territory, Monk and Ball stepped up in the big moments. Ball scored seven points in the fourth quarter and handed out a pair of assists as well.

“He’s a winner,” Borrego said of Ball. “He makes winning plays. I mean, that’s the best way I could put it. He makes winning plays. In the fourth quarter, he made plays on the offensive end, got to the rim, kick-outs, big shots, big free throws and then having those defensive moments whether it’s on the board, getting a steal. Those are all, to me, winning plays and that’s why he’s a winning player.

“He finds a way to impact the game throughout 48 minutes. But at times, he’s really at his best in the fourth quarter. He’s not fazed by the moment. He’s poised and I think our team feels that confidence, especially down the stretch.”

Leading by five with just over two minutes left, Ball sized up DeAndre Ayton after the Suns center was switched onto the rookie guard and blew by him for a dunk. The next time down the court, he did the same to Jae Crowder, this time finishing high off the glass to put the Hornets ahead 119-113 with 1:45 left.

“I think LaMelo is just an overall competitor,” Bismack Biyombo said. “It feels good when you’re around guys that also like to compete. Obviously, the rest of the guys are competitors but you feed off the energy of one another and I think he has done a good job leaning on all the guys around him and finding ways to help him. He has been making a lot of big plays down the stretch and has been able to help us win games.

“At the end of the day, this is all about a team. We all fight together, we win together, we lose together. So tonight, I think a lot of credit (goes) to my teammates for putting up a fight.”

The Hornets looked to have iced the game multiple times in the fourth quarter, first on a pair of free throws from Bridges to put the Hornets up 122-115 with 34 seconds left. A controversial four-point play that Borrego unsuccessfully challenged pulled Phoenix back within three points.

After Mikal Bridges split a pair of free throws with 6.9 seconds left, Hayward corralled the rebound and buried his two freebies to extend the lead to four points with 5.8 seconds left.

Ball would foul Chris Paul, who split his free throws as well, missing the second. Charlotte, though, offered Phoenix one last chance at a tie as they were unable to grab the rebound before knocking it out-of-bounds, allowing Booker a 3-point attempt with 1.2 seconds left that missed.

“We keep fighting, we keep competing, we never give in,” Biyombo said. “And at the end of the day, we learned from our mistakes last game, we corrected and we found a way to win the game. So I’m really happy for my team and I’m looking forward to the next game.”

The loss for Phoenix was just the third in the last 15 games and just the second home loss since Jan. 27 with the other coming against Brooklyn. For Charlotte, the win brings them to the familiar position of one game below .500. It also is another notch in their late-game execution belt. The Hornets remain first in the league in net rating in clutch situations by a mile as their net rating of 51.4 is well ahead of Philadelphia in second at 34.6 and more than double Orlando in third at 23.4.

Most importantly, it’s a win that moves them to seven in the Eastern Conference as they remain a serious fixture in the playoff race.

“Our team should be very proud of this one,” Borrego said. “Not comfortable or satisfied by this one but they should be proud. This is a tough, excellent basketball team they just beat on the road. They deserve the credit and they should feel proud and it should only validate what we’re doing in our program.

“Our player development, our offense, our defense, our identity, our culture. This is a defining win for us but this is not about being satisfied. We’ve got a lot of games to play. We can get a lot better throughout the season. They deserve the credit. I’m proud of them and they should be proud of themselves.”

James Borrego, Malik Monk, LaMelo Ball react to Ball’s first career NBA start

LaMelo Ball’s first start in the NBA came on Monday against the Miami Heat with mixed results as foul trouble saddled him.

LaMelo Ball latest NBA career milestone came on Monday when he started his first game against the Miami Heat. Ball took Terry Rozier’s spot in the lineup after he suffered a sprained ankle in Saturday’s win over the Bucks.

In his first start, Ball had an up-and-down performance. After starting positively, Ball picked up two fouls in the first quarter in a 51-second span served as shackles on him for the rest of the night.

Still, Ball finished the night with 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds while shooting 3-of-11 from the field, 2-of-4 from three and 6-of-6 from the line in 31 minutes in a game the Hornets won in overtime, 129-121.

“I thought he had a solid game,” head coach James Borrego said. “He got into foul trouble. I think that hurt his rhythm a little bit early. He made some big plays for us down the stretch. I trust him out there. He fits with that group. So, I thought it was a very good start for him. I thought overall, the foul trouble probably disrupted him a little bit early but he helped us close that game. He was very good down stretch.”

Ball finished with a plus-minus of -6 on the night but still was effective late in the game. In the closing minutes of regulation and through the overtime period, Ball stayed on the floor despite having five fouls from the 8:11 mark on in the fourth.

Despite it being a milestone night, Ball’s mindset on the night did not change even if he wasn’t coming off the bench for the first time.

“I ain’t even look at it like that,” Ball said. “This is another game and (I’m) just playing basketball. Whenever I get out there, I try my best. It’s like another game.

“I mean, whenever we win, no matter how I play, I’m going to have a good time. I love winning and we got that tonight so I’m walking out of here happy.”

For one of the teammates he’s closest to in Malik Monk, who scored a career-high 36 points in Monday’s win, Ball looked a bit nervous on the night.

“It’s his first start, I saw a little nerves,” Monk said. “I think he was a little nervous. He won’t say he is but I saw it a little bit.

“He just needs to calm his nerves down and that’s going to come with experience and time and years.”

Overall, it was a positive performance for the rookie as he further gained trust from his head coach. However, with Rozier listed as questionable coming into Monday’s game, should he be available on Wednesday, Ball would likely return to the bench.

Malik Monk shines as Hornets earn gritty overtime win over Heat in LaMelo Ball’s first start

Down two starters and trailing by double digits with three minutes to go, a resilient Hornets team picked up their biggest win of the season.

Coming into Monday night’s game, LaMelo Ball was the story in his first start of the season. Coming out of the game, though, it was Malik Monk who took center stage.

Monk scored a career-high 36 points with nine 3-pointers, none bigger than the one to tie the game at 113 and force overtime. In the extra session, Gordon Hayward and Devonte’ Graham combined for 10 of the team’s 16 points to secure a 129-121 win.

“Give Malik Monk a ton of credit,” head coach James Borrego said. “He’s stayed ready. He’s stayed professional. He’s earned this. He deserves this and he was fantastic tonight.

“He kept us in that game early as well,” Borrego continued. “It’s not just the close of the game. Malik kept us in that game from the first half on. Give him a ton of credit.”

True to Borrego’s words, it was three first-quarter threes from Monk that allowed the Hornets to trail by just one point after the first frame. As Miami built up a nine-point lead late in the second quarter, it was Monk who hit a pair of threes to pull Charlotte within three by halftime.

And when P.J. Washington went down in the third quarter, the second starter to go down in as many games with an ankle injury, and the Hornets needed someone to fill his minutes in the fourth, it was Monk who poured in 14 fourth-quarter points.

It was the latest standout performance for Monk, who has come on strong in the last week after only stepping on the court four times in the first 17 games. More than just his on-court struggles, Monk battled back from being diagnosed with COVID-19 at the start of this season and an indefinite suspension at the end of last season.

“A lot of work, man,” Monk said of what his last half-year has looked like. “A lot of shots a night, a lot of shots in the morning before I had Corona, which set me back for a little bit. Then I came back I thought I was going to be in a rotation, wasn’t in a rotation, was [expletive]. Very, very, very, very [expletive]…but I just stuck with it. I just stuck with.

“You can’t take what coach is doing personally, because he’s trying to win,” he continued. “It’s all together, we’re all trying to win. But if you take that personal, you’re going to mess yourself up and be down, get in the game and not be ready. And I finally realized that this year and I didn’t take it personal and realized it’s just business. Coach can’t make everybody happy. So once I realized that, I was ready and just locked in.”

Locked in Monk was on Monday. As Jimmy Butler took over for a stretch of eight-straight Miami points in the fourth quarter, it was Monk that responded with a pair of 3-pointers to keep Charlotte in shouting distance. And when the Hornets trailed 111-101 with 3:11 left, it was Monk that helped kickstart a run.

And when the game was on the line in the final seconds, it was Monk that Borrego drew up the final shot for. After taking an in-bound pass from Gordon Hayward, Cody Zeller’s dribble hand-off to Monk cleared just enough space for Monk’s ninth three of the night, tying the game at 113-113 and capping off a 12-2 run.

“I saw nobody was holding their head down,” LaMelo Ball said of the team’s mindset in the final seconds of regulation. “I even told Malik, I said ‘You’re about to hit this last shot and we’re going into overtime.’ It happened and then from then on, right when we got overtime, we damn near pretty much knew what it was going to be. We said ‘We’re here now, we obviously not going to lose. We came this far.’

“The mentality was definitely to dig deep, get the win and that’s what we came out with.”

After a dunk from Zeller after a dish from Ball was offset by two Butler freebies to start overtime, Hayward scored the next four points before Graham buried a contested 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper to seal the comeback win.

“It’s been a resilient group all year,” Borrego said. “We never drop the sword. Our mentality is we keep fighting to the end. We’re down ten with two-plus minutes to go. Nobody hung their heads but even before that, we’re down two starters. Everybody’s chipping in. Everybody’s fighting. Nobody’s doubting.

“The definition, for me, of resiliency is you reform, you reshape yourself. And when things don’t go your way, you’re down, we found a way to reshape and reform ourselves and pull out a win when the odds said it was not in our favor. This is a resilient group, a tough group, a group that believes in each other. I thought they were fantastic down the stretch.”

The win was the third-straight for Charlotte, all coming against Eastern Conference playoff teams from last season in the Pacers on Friday, Milwaukee on Saturday and the Heat on Monday. The streak pulls Charlotte within a game of .500 with two more daunting games against Philadelphia and Utah to end the week.

Even with the status of both Rozier and Washington uncertain moving forward, the resilient Hornets are ready for whatever challenges await them next.

“(We’re) definitely digging in for the wins,” Ball said. “I mean, you’re going to have hard games, blowout games, all type of games. But in order to be in the playoffs and keep winning you have to go through that type of stuff. As long as we keep winning and going like this, I feel like we’re going to be good.”

Malik Monk says he stayed locked in on bench by mentoring, coaching LaMelo Ball

Out of rotation and buried on the bench, Malik Monk turned to an unlikely source and role to remain focused on the game as a mentor.

Out of rotation, buried on the bench and stuck in his home with his own thoughts during a pandemic, Malik Monk turned to an unlikely source and role to remain focused on the game.

Coaching LaMelo Ball.

More specifically, Monk has focused on mentoring all the young players with Ball being among them. Paired with his consistent workouts on nights he didn’t see the floor, Monk was able to stay both mentally and physically ready so that when the time came, like on Wednesday, he would be ready.

With Gordon Hayward sidelined with a left hip strain, Monk saw his first extended run on the court this season. He knocked down his first three 3-pointers, played 23 minutes and added three rebounds and three assists.

It all ultimately came in a losing effort as the Hornets’ comeback in the fourth quarter fell short but Monk, it was a welcome return to the court.

“It felt great,” he said. “Man, I haven’t played an organized game in 11 months. It just felt great to be out there with the guys, man, and to see a couple of shots go in, too, as well.”

After not being in the rotation, Monk played eighth-most minutes on the night and nearly as many as Caleb Martin, who started in place of Hayward. While he had played in two games this season, both appearances came in garbage time. Add in a suspension at the end of last season and the last time Monk had played over 20 minutes in a contest was Feb. 25.

It was a long nearly 12-month break for Monk. Watching his role dwindle amid a pandemic left Monk trapped with his own thought. The solution for the fourth-year guard was to become a mentor for his teammates.

“Mentally, it’s a challenge not being able to just go somewhere to clear your mind, just leave the house,” he said. “But like I said, having LaMelo and Nick Richards, Vernon (Carey), Jalen (McDaniels), having all the younger guys younger than me helps me lock in even more and keeps me sane, keep keeps my head on straight because I’m passing knowledge…to them that I’ve learned over the years.

“After the first couple of games, I got adjusted with not playing and just being a coach and helping and being a great teammate. But it’s hard mentally. I think it’s hard for everybody mentally. But if you want to do this job that’s what you got to do.”

Ball has become one of Monk’s focuses from the bench. The 19-year-old rookie had yet another double-double on Thursday, finishing with 14 points and 11 assists off the bench. As Monk watched him navigate the early stages of his NBA career, he remembered his own rookie year and used those lessons learned to help Ball.

“That’s what is keeping me locked in, as well, helping him,” Monk said. “I know I can help him a lot because I play the guard position. And I was young doing the same thing he’s going through as well. Came to the league in 19, so I got a lot of points I can give to him still and I’m going to continue to do that daily.”

Monk’s role moving forward is unclear. As the Hornets continue ironing out their rotation in the early weeks and month of the season, Monk’s performance will be hard to overlook. Should Hayward’s absence stretch to a second game, Monk would almost be guaranteed another longer look on Saturday when the team plays the Raptors once again.

But no matter what Monk’s role on the court is moving forward, finding his role off the court has given him meaning and purpose within the team that he is comfortable continuing.

“I think it played a big part in me getting a little bit more minutes now,” Monk said of his performance on Thursday. “But if I don’t, I’m always going to be ready to go in and do what I did today. I’m just here man to help the team and do what I got to do to help the team.

“If that’s playing what I did today, I’ll do that and if it’s on a beach cheering, coaching Melo up, coaching guys up on what I see out there, I’ll do that. I’m just here for the team.”

Should the Charlotte Hornets push the Kings on a trade for Marvin Bagley III?

With Malik Monk out of the rotation in Charlotte and Marvin Bagley III disgruntled in Sacramento, could the two sides work a trade?

While it’s early in the season, an interesting trend has emerged in the Hornets rotation. Malik Monk, a player entering his fourth year in the league who averaged 21.3 minutes per game last season, has yet to make an appearance in a contest this year.

During the preseason, Monk tested positive for coronavirus and missed the majority of training camp and the exhibition slate. He did return for the final three preseason games, playing just over 34 total minutes between those games.

However, once the regular season started, Monk was relegated to the bench. In the six games the Hornets have played, Monk has not seen a minute on the court. Head coach James Borrego has noted that he is healthy but the play of players off the bench, namely LaMelo Ball, Cody Martin and Caleb Martin, has forced him out of the rotation.

It’s a far fall for Monk, who was selected No. 11 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and averaged 10.3 points per game last season. It could be a blip in the radar this season, which still has plenty left to unfold in the coming months and could see many more changes. But that he is even in this situation speaks to how he’s viewed by the current coaching staff.

Monk still has value as he’s had success in the league. But for a Hornets side with a thin front court even before Cody Zeller’s injury, is Monk’s greatest value to the team on the court?

That question has become more relevant in the last few days, on the other side of the country, the Sacramento Kings are going through a nearly annual circus. Fellow former top pick, Marvin Bagley III, has been in the middle of controversy after his father tweeted for the franchise to trade him. Bagley himself did little to help his case by refusing to even answer questions on the matter in the aftermath. Things moved to another level on Sunday when Richaun Holmes and De’Aaron Fox’s parents weighed in.

All this comes while the Kings are having an exciting start, going 3-3 with rookie Tyrese Haliburton turning heads. Bagley has played in all six games, averaging 25 minutes a night as a starter with 11.8 points and 8.0 rebounds.

With both the Hornets and the Kings have unhappy young players, could a deal between the two sides make sense? Charlotte’s gaping hole in the middle could be filled by Bagley while a change of scenery for Monk could allow him a fresh start.

The trade would be more than a straight one-for-one deal with the Hornets needing to attach more either in the former of draft capital or young players. Charlotte does not owe any first round picks, allowing them flexibility in doing a deal.

Whether or not Monk is considered expendable, the Bagley situation is one Charlotte should be monitoring. As a young player that fits both the playstyle and needs of the Hornets, it could be worth pulling a trigger on.

Should the Charlotte Hornets push the Kings on a trade for Marvin Bagley III?

With Malik Monk out of the rotation in Charlotte and Marvin Bagley III disgruntled in Sacramento, could the two sides work a trade?

While it’s early in the season, an interesting trend has emerged in the Hornets rotation. Malik Monk, a player entering his fourth year in the league who averaged 21.3 minutes per game last season, has yet to make an appearance in a contest this year.

During the preseason, Monk tested positive for coronavirus and missed the majority of training camp and the exhibition slate. He did return for the final three preseason games, playing just over 34 total minutes between those games.

However, once the regular season started, Monk was relegated to the bench. In the six games the Hornets have played, Monk has not seen a minute on the court. Head coach James Borrego has noted that he is healthy but the play of players off the bench, namely LaMelo Ball, Cody Martin and Caleb Martin, has forced him out of the rotation.

It’s a far fall for Monk, who was selected No. 11 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and averaged 10.3 points per game last season. It could be a blip in the radar this season, which still has plenty left to unfold in the coming months and could see many more changes. But that he is even in this situation speaks to how he’s viewed by the current coaching staff.

Monk still has value as he’s had success in the league. But for a Hornets side with a thin front court even before Cody Zeller’s injury, is Monk’s greatest value to the team on the court?

That question has become more relevant in the last few days, on the other side of the country, the Sacramento Kings are going through a nearly annual circus. Fellow former top pick, Marvin Bagley III, has been in the middle of controversy after his father tweeted for the franchise to trade him. Bagley himself did little to help his case by refusing to even answer questions on the matter in the aftermath. Things moved to another level on Sunday when Richaun Holmes and De’Aaron Fox’s parents weighed in.

All this comes while the Kings are having an exciting start, going 3-3 with rookie Tyrese Haliburton turning heads. Bagley has played in all six games, averaging 25 minutes a night as a starter with 11.8 points and 8.0 rebounds.

With both the Hornets and the Kings have unhappy young players, could a deal between the two sides make sense? Charlotte’s gaping hole in the middle could be filled by Bagley while a change of scenery for Monk could allow him a fresh start.

The trade would be more than a straight one-for-one deal with the Hornets needing to attach more either in the former of draft capital or young players. Charlotte does not owe any first round picks, allowing them flexibility in doing a deal.

Whether or not Monk is considered expendable, the Bagley situation is one Charlotte should be monitoring. As a young player that fits both the playstyle and needs of the Hornets, it could be worth pulling a trigger on.

Malik Monk on LaMelo Ball’s passing: ‘It’s his biggest key and strength’

LaMelo Ball made yet another highlight-reel pass on Saturday to Malik Monk, who says Ball’s passing is his biggest key and strength.

While LaMelo Ball’s overall performance against the Magic on Saturday was a disappointing one, his assist late in the game was as big of a highlight as any he’s had this preseason. With the Hornets up by just one point, Ball forced a turnover, pushed the ball and tossed a one-handed bounce pass to Malik Monk that spanned 40 feet and hit the guard in stride for a layup.

The play forced Twitter into an uproar as everyone marveled at the pass. It was one of many highlight plays Ball has had this preseason as he’s quickly staked a claim as one of the league’s best passers.

Monk talked about playing alongside Ball this season and what it’s like to run fastbreaks alongside him.

“It’s great,” he said. “It’s neat for me, definitely, as a shooter, athlete, to get out on the court (and) having somebody look for you. He looks to pass first. He can score when he needs to but he definitely looks to pass first and I think that’s his biggest, biggest key and biggest strength he has. It’s great playing with him because the ball is always able to get to you. It doesn’t matter how he’s dribbling, where he’s at on the court, he can get you the ball.”

Ball’s shooting has been hot and cold this preseason but his passing has been hot throughout. Whether it’s Miles Bridges, Malik Monk and any number of his other teammates, Ball is making a name for himself as a playmaker with Charlotte this season.

Twitter reacts to LaMelo Ball’s insane one-handed pass vs. Magic

LaMelo Ball had one of his best highlights of the preseason on Saturday night with a one-handed bounce pass to Malik Monk that set Twitter ablaze.

LaMelo Ball did not have a particularly great game against the Orlando Magic in his preseason finale on Saturday. After an 18-point performance against the Magic on Thursday, the two sides returned to the court on Saturday with a much different outcome for Ball.

He finished the night going just 1-for-10 from the field and 0-of-4 from three for just four points. Ball committed four turnovers with four assists and four rebounds while adding just one steal in a 120-117 loss.

However, it was one play and one pass in particular that set Twitter ablaze on the night. Late in the fourth quarter with the Hornets leading by two, Ball helped force a turnover on Cole Anthony, then jumped out on the break before throwing a casual 40-foot, one-handed bounce pass to Malik Monk in stride for the layup.

Instantly, Twitter erupted with reactions to this absurd play.

While the Hornets ultimately ended up losing the game, Ball still came away with arguably his best play of the preseason.