Five Questions With Malik Monk, the Steal of the 2017 NBA Draft

The first-round pick and new Charlotte Hornets rookie talks his Kentucky top five and the differences between Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz.

Malik Monk
USA Today Sports

Image via Brad Penner/USA Today Sports

Malik Monk

Selected at No. 11 by the Charlotte Hornets, Malik Monk may very well be the steal of the 2017 NBA Draft. He took the nation by storm as a member of the Kentucky Wildcats last year with several 30-plus point performances, including his 47-point outburst versus the eventual champion North Carolina Tar Heels back in December. Now he looks to make all the teams that passed him pay for their transgressions.

He's a complete scorer whose game translates well in today's pro game. Malik can shoot from anywhere, take a defender off the dribble, drive, and—unlike most college kids—he can actually make his free throws. Monk and Kemba are gonna run wild in North Carolina and will give a team a combined 80 points—fave this tweet. We talked to Malik about his favorite NBA team growing up, his favorite player (you'll feel old if you're already old), who his game best compares to, and his Kentucky top five.

You’re from Arkansas so I believe football is God over there. Who were your favorite basketball teams?
That’s how it is, straight football. Basketball wise, I like Memphis. It’s right there. I watched a lot of Memphis and OKC.

Which players would you compare your game to?
Lou Williams, Jamal Crawford, a little bit of Russ, C.J. McCollum, Brad Beal. I try to take from them.

Who was your favorite player growing up?
Westbrook. Yeah, that’s my guy. Yeah, I’m super young.

Talk about Lonzo's game versus  Markelle Fultz’s.
Fultz does everything, scores, gets people involved. Lonzo just wants to get everybody involved. They’re both great picks but I think Markelle does a little bit more.

Rank your top 5 Kentucky players.
Dang. No. 1 AD (Anthony Davis). No. 2 DeMarcus. No. 3 John Wall. No. 4 Bledsoe. No. 5 KAT.

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