Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk is feared to have suffered feared to have suffered a sprained MCL in his proper knee and can bear additional testing, in response to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Monk, 26, exited the primary quarter with a proper knee harm throughout Friday evening’s 107-103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks after Luka Doncic landed on him on a drive to the basket.
“We’ve received to have the subsequent man step up. No person’s going to fill Malik’s sneakers, so we simply need to attempt to do it by committee,” mentioned Kings coach Mike Brown after the loss.
Per a number of NBA betting websites, Monk is the odds-on favourite to win NBA Sixth Man of the 12 months. Sportsbooks are nonetheless displaying Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bogdan Bogdanovic within the high three.
Kings guard Malik Monk is feared to have suffered a sprained MCL in his proper knee and can bear additional testing, sources inform @TheAthletic @Stadium. Arguably the NBA’s finest Sixth Man has averaged almost 16 factors and 5 assists an evening. pic.twitter.com/J6KllcYz4W
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 30, 2024
Monk’s solely missed recreation this season was Sacramento’s 110-98 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 23. If his harm is an MCL sprain, he might miss 2-6 weeks, doubtlessly ending his season.
“It’s positively massive what he does for us playmaking and scoring coming off the bench,” mentioned Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, who’s Monk’s former College of Kentucky teammate.
“That’s an enormous blow. We don’t know the way important it’s but. We’re hoping for the very best, but when he’s out for a while, we’ve 9 video games left – there’s no wanting within the mirror now.”
Sacramento Kings’ Malik Monk favored to win NBA Sixth Man of the 12 months, averaging a career-high 15.4 PPG
In 72 video games off the bench this season, Monk has averaged profession highs of 15.4 factors and 5.1 assists, together with 2.9 rebounds and 26 minutes per recreation. Plus, he has shot 44.3% from the sector, 35% from 3-point vary, and 82.9% on the free throw line.
Moreover, in Sacramento’s 124-120 win over Minnesota on March 1, the guard recorded a season-high 39 factors, 4 rebounds, 4 help, and a steal in 33 minutes as a reserve.
The Kings (42-31) had an opportunity to maneuver from No. 8 to No. 6 within the Western Convention standings with simply 9 video games remaining within the common season. Shifting into the sixth spot is good to keep away from the play-in event.
Malik Monk went to the Kings’ locker room after this collision with Luka Dončić pic.twitter.com/24JzYM4bk5
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 30, 2024
As an alternative, the sixth-seeded Mavericks (44-29) now have a two-game lead on Sacramento, and the fifth-seeded Phoenix Suns (43-31) are half a recreation forward. The No. 9 Los Angeles Lakers (41-33) are 1 1/2 video games behind.
“It’s unlucky,” Kings ahead Harrison Barnes mentioned when requested about Monk’s harm. “Clearly, nonetheless attempting to determine the severity of it, however that’s a part of the enterprise.
“I believe final 12 months we had been extraordinarily wholesome, and we didn’t have to fret about that. This 12 months, we’ve been a little bit bit harm plagued.”
