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The Sacramento Kings (8-9) could use a jolt after dropping three straight games, all of which coming against teams they are supposed to be above on the NBA hierarchy this season. Luckily for fans, reinforcements are arriving immediately. Malik Monk is expected to return for Monday night's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder (12-4), according to insider Chris Haynes.
The Sixth Man of the Year runner-up “will go through warmups with the intention” of playing.” He has missed the last seven games with an ankle injury. Sacramento went 2-5 during that span. When Monk is not on the floor, this team's is not much of a threat. Look no further than last season.
Malik Monk is X-factor for Kings
The 26-year-old shooting guard is struggling profusely from behind the 3-point line through 10 games (27.9 percent), but he is the type of player who can heat up at a moment's notice. 10 p.m. ET would be an ideal time for him to do it. While the Kings are only four and a half games behind the first-place Golden State Warriors and Thunder, it is important to start strong in a deep Western Conference.
De'Aaron Fox is sizzling right now, scoring nearly 29 points on 51 percent shooting to go with 1.7 steals per game. He could use some help, though. Monk averages 11.7 points in 21.7 minutes for his career, possessing the valuable ability to make a big impact in a short amount of time. He just needs to stay healthy long enough to get into a groove.
This is a pivotal year for head coach Mike Brown and the Kings franchise as a whole. The addition of DeMar DeRozan is supposed to be accompanied by definitive growth. An exit in the NBA Play-In Tournament or first round of the postseason will not suffice. The roster will inevitably be disassembled, or at the very least shuffled, if the team does not meet the standard of success the organization has clearly set for the 2024-25 season.
That sense of urgency should be present in the Golden 1 Center in a few hours.
