Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk is feared to have suffered feared to have suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee and will undergo further testing, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Monk, 26, exited the first quarter with a right knee injury during Friday night’s 107-103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks after Luka Doncic landed on him on a drive to the basket.
“We’ve got to have the next man step up. Nobody’s going to fill Malik’s shoes, so we just have to try to do it by committee,” said Kings coach Mike Brown after the loss.
Per a few NBA betting sites, Monk is the odds-on favorite to win NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Sportsbooks are still showing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bogdan Bogdanovic in the top three.
Kings guard Malik Monk is feared to have suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee and will undergo further testing, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Arguably the NBA’s best Sixth Man has averaged nearly 16 points and five assists a night. pic.twitter.com/J6KllcYz4W
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 30, 2024
Monk’s only missed game this season was Sacramento’s 110-98 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 23. If his injury is an MCL sprain, he could miss 2-6 weeks, potentially ending his season.
“It’s definitely big what he does for us playmaking and scoring coming off the bench,” said Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, who is Monk’s former University of Kentucky teammate.
“That’s a big blow. We don’t know how significant it is yet. We’re hoping for the best, but if he is out for some time, we have nine games left – there’s no looking in the mirror now.”
Sacramento Kings’ Malik Monk favored to win NBA Sixth Man of the Year, averaging a career-high 15.4 PPG
In 72 games off the bench this season, Monk has averaged career highs of 15.4 points and 5.1 assists, along with 2.9 rebounds and 26 minutes per game. Plus, he has shot 44.3% from the field, 35% from 3-point range, and 82.9% at the free throw line.
Furthermore, in Sacramento’s 124-120 win over Minnesota on March 1, the guard recorded a season-high 39 points, four rebounds, four assist, and a steal in 33 minutes as a reserve.
The Kings (42-31) had a chance to move from No. 8 to No. 6 in the Western Conference standings with just nine games remaining in the regular season. Moving into the sixth spot is ideal to avoid the play-in tournament.
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
Instead, 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 game ahead. The No. 9 Los Angeles Lakers (41-33) are 1 1/2 games behind.
“It’s unfortunate,” Kings forward Harrison Barnes said when asked about Monk’s injury. “Obviously, still trying to figure out the severity of it, but that’s part of the business.
“I think last year we were extremely healthy, and we didn’t have to worry about that. This year, we’ve been a little bit injury plagued.”
