Charlotte Hornets rookie guard Malik Monk already appears to be in the doghouse just two months into his NBA career.
Marc Berman of the New York Post reported on Monday that Monk has been pulled from the Hornets rotation due to his poor defensive play.
Malik Monk has been pulled from Charlotte rotation because of poor defense. Charlotte is 10-19.
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) December 18, 2017
The 19-year-old Monk, who was picked by the Hornets No. 11 overall in this year’s draft, had been averaging just 6.3 points and 1.6 assists in 15.7 minutes per game. He did see the court during Monday’s win over the New York Knicks, but it was only for three minutes at the end of a blowout.
For what it’s worth, Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford is known to especially prioritize defense, but lead assistant Stephen Silas is currently running the team with Clifford in an indefinite leave of absence because of a health issue.
As for Monk, he is a score-first combo guard who is at something of a physical disadvantage defensively — too small at 6-foot-3 to defend shooting guards and not quite quick enough to defend point guards. In any case though, it seems he is being humbled a bit after talking some smack before the season.
