The Sacramento Kings world breathed a huge sigh of relief when Malik Monk (one of the best combo guards in the league) agreed to remain a member of the team after signing a four-year, 78-million dollar extension to remain with the team.
However, with great power comes great responsibility, and it seems that Monk wants a larger role to go along with his big payday. A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year (6MOY) runner-up wants to take his talents to the starting lineup.
As many of you know, the front office (who offered Monk the contract) isn’t the entity that decides who starts and who comes off the bench. That decision is made by the head coach (and his staff).
What Does Mike Brown Think About Malik Monk’s Desire To Start?
On Thursday, at the Vegas Summer League, head coach Mike Brown was asked what he thought about Monk’s desire to start next season. Here is what he had to say:
Kings head coach Mike Brown talks about Malik Monk's desire to start for Sacramento, among the many topics which includes replacing coaches on his staff, to Devin Carter and DeMar DeRozan.
FULL INTERVIEW: https://t.co/Ev5oIQD71J pic.twitter.com/oA5Oe3g73m
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) July 18, 2024
“”The first thing is that you love the fact that he wanted to be here. That’s first and foremost. Not only that, you [also] love the fact that he’s embraced the city just like they’ve embraced him. He’s competitive and you want people on your team that are competitive. I wouldn’t be happy with anybody if they were just okay sitting back in the role that I told them they [were] in. Everybody wants to be the best. It’s just like our coaches. If you are the seventh assistant, I wouldn’t be happy if you sat there and said, ‘Hey, I just want to be the seventh assistant for the rest of my time here.’ You want somebody who has a growth mindset and is willing to take on challenges that come with more responsibilities. So, I applaud [Monk] for that…But, at the end of the day, whatever is best for the team – which is what he has said on numerous occasions – is what he’s going to do.””
– Mike Brown, Sacramento Kings
What Is Best For The Team?
As expected, Brown offered a vague answer to the question. After all, a great magician never reveals his secrets. But, in this instance, what is best for the Kings?
As I’ve written before, I think what is best for the Kings from an on-court perspective is that Monk continues to offer a spark off the bench, where he can oscillate between playing off-ball and leading the offense in the minutes when De’Aaron Fox is on the bench.
The best option to start at shooting guard is Keon Ellis – who offers a healthy blend of spacing and defense to help balance a starting lineup that projects to tout a lot of on-ball scoring and not a lot of defense.
But I guess we will soon see if Brown agrees with my line of thinking.
