Malik Monk Sixth Man of the Year snub sparks Kings outrage

25/04/2024 02:31

Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk finished second in the voting for NBA Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday.

Monk, who was viewed as the favorite for the award almost the entire season, suffered a MCL injury in his right knee, causing him to miss the Kings’ final nine games. But even with the absence, Sacramento fans feel as though Monk was robbed of the award.

StatMamba – “Malik Monk this season: • Most PTS off the bench • Most AST off the bench • Most 20-point games off the bench • Most 25-point games off the bench • Most Clutch PTS, FGM, 3PM off the bench”

Morgan Ragan – “I think voters should have to prove they watch the league.”

Morgan Ragan – “I was recording all excited to hear Malik Monk's name being called. Just disappointed because again Kings not getting the love they deserve on a different stage- but congrats Naz Reid.”

StatMuse – “— 15.4 PPG — 5.1 APG — 1st in bench points — 1st in bench assists — 1st in clutch points by a bench player First player since Lou Williams with 1,000+ points and 350+ assists off the bench in a season.”

Jack (The Kings Fan) – “Naz as a starter: 17/7/2 on 47/42/70 Naz on the bench: 12/4/1 on 48/41/76 Lik' on the bench: 15/2/5 on 44/35/82 if Malik started for a month, his stats would have spiked too. what a joke.”

Duece Mason – “Hard to believe Malik Monk didn’t do enough to win 6th man of the year. Malik Monk had 17 games with 20+pts and 5+ asts off bench (led NBA) 25 games with 20+ points off the bench (led the NBA) 2nd in assists off drives (153)-2nd in the NBA behind SGA”

Kings’ Monk finishes behind Naz Reid

After being rewarded by the Timberwolves with a three-year, $42 million contract last offseason, Reid did not disappoint this season. The Timberwolves big man proved to be an excellent complementary piece in Minnesota’s frontcourt alongside Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, especially given his ability to stretch the floor on offense.

In a total of 81 games played – 67 of which saw him come off of the bench – Reid averaged 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and a career-high 41.4 percent from three-point range. Reid had a total of 843 points off the bench this season, the seventh-most in the league, according to StatMuse. His 128 made 3-pointers off the bench ranked ninth out of all NBA reserve players in the league this season.

He may not be on the same level as his teammate Gobert, but Reid is more than capable of holding his own defensively, and he helped the Timberwolves finish the regular season as the best defensive team in basketball. Reid finished the year with a 107.4 defensive rating, the third-best in the league behind only Gobert (104.5) and Victor Wembanyama (105.8).

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