Malik Monk

After spending the first four years of his career with the Hornets, the team didn't tender Monk a qualifying offer after drafting him 11th overall in 2017. That allowed Monk to become an unrestricted free agent, and he proceeded to ink a one-year deal with the Lakers. It seemed like he would face an uphill battle for minutes, but many of the Lakers' other options on the wing failed to contribute effectively. That, combined with injuries, allowed Monk to surprisingly record the best campaign of his career. He reached career highs nearly across the board, and it was also his most efficient season (59.7 true shooting percentage). The now-24-year-old averaged 13.8 points on 47/39/80 shooting, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 28.1 minutes. This season, Monk joins anther new team, signing a two-year, $19 million contract with the Kings over the summer. He'll presumably compete with Kevin Huerter for the starting shooting guard spot. Whether he claims it or not, Monk should, at a minimum, see sixth-man minutes and compete for time against Huerter, Davion Mitchell, Jeremy Lamb and Terence Davis. He could replicate last season's numbers, which resulted in him ranking 119th in per-game fantasy production. However, Monk doesn't sport much upside given his place in the offense, so fantasy managers shouldn't have to reach inside the top 100 to secure him come draft day.

Monk had another impressive season in his fourth year with the Hornets. The guard managed to increase his three-point shooting efficiency from 28.4 percent to 40.1 percent, while his scoring improved from 10.3 points to 11.7 points. Overall, Monk finished the 2020-21 campaign with season averages of 11.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.5 steals in 20.9 minutes of action. This offseason, the 23-year-old joined up with the Lakers and is slated to be one of the youngest players on the team. Monk will face an uphill battle to see minutes, as he'll likely compete for playing time with Wayne Ellington, Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn. As a result of the championship-or-bust roster the Lakers have built, it's very possible that Monk will play less than 15 minutes per game, thus limiting his fantasy appeal.

Monk made some strides during the 2019-20 season after largely struggling during his first few years in the league. He posted career highs of 10.3 points on 43.4 percent shooting to go along with 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 rebounds per contest. The 22-year-old guard played some of the best basketball of his career during a late season push from Jan. 20-Feb. 22, averaging 17.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists over a 12-game sample, hitting 46.5 percent of his field goals and 37.5 percent of his threes. The third-year Kentucky product has shown flashes of offensive firepower at various points early in his career, but inconsistency has made it hard to predict his output from game to game. This season Monk's value is likely impacted with the Hornets taking LaMelo Ball with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He'll have to battle for playing time between Ball, Devonte' Graham and Terry Rozier, plus the Martin brothers.

Monk, the No. 11 overall pick in 2017, averaged career highs in points (8.9), rebounds (1.9) and assists (1.6) in his second season, coming off the bench for 17.2 minutes per game. He also canned 1.5 triples at a 33.0 percent clip. Aside from the three-ball, Monk's shooting has been pedestrian in his first two seasons, shooting 37.8 from the field. The Hornets are facing a total rebuild this season with leading scorers Jeremy Lamb and franchise superstar Kemba Walker gone in free agency. That gives Charlotte incentive to give more playing time to its young players, possibly affording Monk a bump in usage. He averaged 18.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.1 threes per 36 minutes last season, and more minutes could put him on the fantasy radar for the first time in his career. The former lottery pick out of Kentucky has failed to live up to his high draft selection in two seasons, but the Hornets are bereft of talent, opening the door for Monk to prove himself in the league if he can earn significant minutes. He's an interesting late-round flyer who offers scoring upside, but how Charlotte's rotation shakes out this season is anyone's guess at this point.

Touted as a scorer out of college, Monk didn't appear comfortable during his rookie campaign, shooting just 36.0 percent from the field and averaging 6.7 points across 13.6 minutes. He also didn't do well as a distributor, totaling 49 turnovers with only 91 assists. It wasn't all bad, however, as the Kentucky product racked up five games with at least 20 points, including a 26 point, eight-assist outburst against the Magic in early April. Heading into his age 20 season, Monk should continue to play a reserve role at point guard, though the addition of Tony Parker into the mix complicates Monk’s route to minutes. The continued presence of both Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lamb at shooting guard will also make it difficult for Monk to garner run at that position. There’s still reason to be optimistic about Monk’s upside as a player, but this season may not be the best time to invest from a Fantasy perspective.

One of the most exciting players in college basketball last season, Monk teamed with fellow-freshman De'Aaron Fox to lead Kentucky to the Elite Eight. While Monk fell out of the top 10 on draft night, he landed in a favorable spot in Charlotte, where he'll be relied upon for bench scoring as a rookie. Monk is still developing as an overall offensive player, but he's already an outstanding three-point shooter, equally comfortable pulling up off the dribble as he his shooting off the catch. With Jeremy Lamb ahead of him on the depth chart, Monk's role will likely be somewhat limited in Year 1, but he should be a fixture in the rotation and could be used on the ball, at times, particularly if offseason addition Michael Carter-Williams struggles out of the gate.