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Minnesota Timberwolves: Pros/cons of Timberwolves drafting Malik Monk

By Antoine Bass

Mar 26, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) drives against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Stilman White (30) in the first half during the finals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) drives against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Stilman White (30) in the first half during the finals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 18, 2017; Athens, GA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) and Georgia Bulldogs forward Mike Edwards (32) reach for a loose ball in the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2017; Athens, GA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) and Georgia Bulldogs forward Mike Edwards (32) reach for a loose ball in the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Con: While Monk is a prolific scorer, there were times when he was neutralized by good defenses.

While being great at creating his own shot, Monk is an average ball handler. He utilizes basic crossovers and struggles when being pressured while having the ball.

Monk can make the basic play but he does not have point guard skill.

Monks ability to be able to score at will would make him a great complimentary piece for the Timberwolves, but he is the type of player who can shoot you in and out of games.

He’s also very predictable as well. He likes to go left but when defenses force him to go right he tends to struggle.

He is very explosive but 79.4 percent of his shots were jump shots in his one season at Kentucky. Monk has the ability to play off his jumper and get into the paint, but at times he chooses not too.

He also has a problem with not letting plays develop before he makes his move. This can be costly because just one person who isn’t in sync with his teammates can ruin many crucial possessions.

Also, when in a pick and pop situation, Monk tends to look off the pop man and takes a jumper. This is alarming because the Timberwolves have two great shooting big men in Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng.

Karl-Anthony Towns shot 36.7 percent from downtown last season. While Gorgui Dieng shot 37.2 percent from downtown.

Those are respectable numbers and seeing that they were only behind Zach LaVine and Brandon Rush, they’ve got to take that shot because they’ve shown they can hit it.

Monk cannot allow them to pass up those opportunities.

Next: Winning the Lottery can fix the Timberwolves

While the Timberwolves need a dynamic player to produce for the worst bench in the NBA, Malik Monks physical frame, ability to create against tough defenses and overall basketball IQ may lead the Timberwolves to think about other options.