Malik Monk finishes second in Sixth Man of the Year race

Apr 24, 2024, 3:34 PM | Updated: 4:04 pm

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk spent the majority of the 2023-24 regular season as the heavy favorite for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, but that did not ensure he would be the one to take home the hardware.

Monk fell short of securing the top honor for NBA reserves, as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Naz Reid was named Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday afternoon during TNT’s broadcast of Inside the NBA.

Reid, a 6’9 forward, averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 47 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent from beyond the three-point line. The 24-year-old started in 14 of his 81 appearances, with all of those starts coming in the place of Karl Anthony-Towns, who missed time near the end of the regular season as he rehabilitated a knee injury.

Monk fell short by 10 points (352-342) in the voting process, and two first-place votes shy (45-43) of Reid.

Brutally close. pic.twitter.com/dlPLMrD5GW

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) April 24, 2024

In his second season with the Kings, Monk posted averages of 15.4 points (career-high), 2.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists (career-high), and 0.6 steals per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from three-point range over 72 games (26.0 minutes per appearance).

Unlike Reid, Monk didn’t start for Sacramento–as was the case during the 2022-23 season–over his 72 appearances before missing the final nine games of the Kings’ regular season due to an MCL sprain that was suffered in a crucial matchup against Dallas on March 29th.

Monk’s growth as a playmaker made him a weapon for Sacramento’s offense, as the Kentucky product passed 2002-03 Sixth Man of the Year winner Bobby Jackson (629) for the most assists by a reserve in franchise history.

Among league leaders, Monk led all NBA reserves in the following categories:

Games with 5+ assists: 45
Games with 10+ points and 5+ assists: 34
Games with 15+ points: 38
Games with 20+ points: 25
Points Scored: 1,110
Assists: 370

Monk will enter unrestricted free agency on June 30th, and the Kings will be able to offer the guard a deal that tops out at $78 million over four years. If Monk gets a larger offer, he could leave Sacramento with a huge hole in its lineup as they would be faced with the impossible task of filling Monk’s shoes.

While the guard has been open about his love for the city, organization, and fanbase, money could lure Monk out of a Kings jersey this summer.

Anything can happen in the NBA, and Sacramento will do all it can to bring Monk back for years to come.