Through the years, more and more value has been put on bench scoring and players who fill the sixth-man role for their respective teams. This is why the race for the Sixth Man of the Year award always tends to be the most unique. So far this season, several players have made huge impacts for their teams by coming off the bench. However, the Sacramento Kings have Malik Monk, who has stepped up throughout the season as his team's sixth man.
Monk has been on a tear in recent games since the All-Star break, averaging 18.6 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds over the last eight games. In this span, Monk ranks third on the team in scoring, trailing only De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. He also ranks third in total shots made.
The Kings defeated the San Antonio Spurs 131-129 on Thursday night, and Monk had his fingerprints all over this game. In 30 minutes off the bench, Monk recorded 18 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. It was a clutch three-point shot by the Kings' sixth man that tied the game with just over 20 seconds left, putting Sacramento in a position to pull off an improbable victory in front of their home faithful.
This was yet another instance of Monk coming alive off the bench when his team needed him the most, which is why he has Fox's full endorsement for Sixth Man of the Year.
“I don't even think it should be close honestly,” Fox said after the game, via Matt George of ABC10 in Sacramento. “I think he's long and away the frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year.”
Monk vying for the Sixth Man of the Year award is nothing new, as he has been viewed as one of the favorites for quite some time. In ClutchPoints' recent NBA media poll, Monk received a third of the total votes for the award, the most out of any other player in the league.
As far as his resume goes, Monk clearly has the best path to claiming this end-of-season award.
Malik Monk's Sixth Man of the Year resume
The Kings have always relied on Monk to be a primary source of offensive production alongside Fox and Sabonis. This season, he has come off the bench in all 61 games he has played in, averaging 15.6 points and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from three-point range.
After finishing fifth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting last season, Monk has stepped up his game and kept the Kings in a position to still contend for a top six spot in the Western Conference standings.
Monk has also reigned supreme over other bench players in the league this season from an offensive perspective. In total, Monk has scored 951 total bench points, the most out of any player in the league according to StatMuse. The next closest player is Milwaukee Bucks big man Bobby Portis, with 807 total points.
No matter how you look at it from a statistical standpoint, Monk stands out as the best bench player in the NBA this season. It won't be long until he is crowned the 2023-24 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
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