The lightest sleeper – AKA “The Daydreamer” – Malik Monk
One of the worst-kept secrets in basketball is that most casual fans value scoring over pretty much everything. Well, say hello to Mr. Bucket-getter himself. You will be hard-pressed to find a bigger Monk fan than myself. Monk slid his way into the sleeper conversation because he was unable to play during Summer League due to an ankle injury, and he slipped in the draft beyond his initial projections, but I haven’t just forgotten about the kid who handed the eventual National Champion UNC Tarheels 47 big ones.
In the aforementioned game, Monk gave a healthy dose of buckets to Justin Jackson, absolutely froze Joel Berry in transition, picked up assists, pulled up off the dribble, and got to the rim. Monk wasn’t a one-hit wonder though, as he went for 30+ on four separate occasions. At just 19 years old, Monk is an advanced analytics darling and far-and-above the best pure shooter of any rookie, in my opinion (50%/40%/82%).
Monk is the second-string SG on the Hornets’ depth chart, according to ESPN, but with only Michael Carter-Williams backing up Kemba Walker, I imagine Monk will be given plenty of opportunities at PG as well. Monk is a combo guard, regardless of his scoring ability, and while he seems like a natural 2-guard, his play-making abilities have been underestimated and may shine through in spurts with the Hornets.
I expect Monk could see 20-ish minutes per game, which could be enough to open the eyes of the nonbelievers.