New York Knicks: Malik Monk can be the point guard of the future

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks need a franchise point guard and many mock drafts have them taking Malik Monk. If the big blue sharpshooter adapts, he will be the steal of the 2017 NBA Draft.

The University of Kentucky men's basketball program has become a factory of elite NBA talent. Players like John Wall, Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns and many others represent the Big Blue Nation (BBN) superbly in the NBA.

Maybe it's time for the New York Knicks to place an order of their own for some thoroughbred talent.

The Washington Wizards and even the Minnesota Timberwolves are reaping the benefits of drafting Kentucky players and maybe the Knicks should too. Malik Monk lit up the college basketball world in his lone year at UK and helped lead them to the Elite Eight. Monk has elite athleticism along with a killer instinct and a dead-eye from long-range.

The talent, personality and skill of Monk is unmistakable. However, these skills were employed strictly from the shooting guard position and the Knicks need a point guard. The big question for Phil Jackson is can he turn Malik Monk into his point guard?

If he can't become a point guard in New York, his ability may be best used somewhere else. When the time comes to choose and Monk is still available, Phil Jackson will have an important decision to make. Can he and his coaching staff turn Malik Monk into the point guard they need?

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The body of work

Malik Monk is a 6'4″, 197-pound guard from Arkansas with a 42″ vertical. As the primary scorer for UK, he helped lead the team to a 32-6 record and one possession away from the Final Four. For most of the year, the weakest part of his game varied between defense and rebounding. However, as the year progressed, Monk improved in both of those realms.

On a team stacked with talent, Monk still averaged 32 minutes per game. He was able to stay on the floor due to his scoring and durability. Monk played in every game for UK and averaged 19.8 points per game while shooting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Offense and scoring were his strengths in particular, along with his clutch shooting at the end of every big game of the season. Talent and production will never be a question with Monk. But can he be shaped into an NBA point guard?

It should be noted that Monk did average 2.3 assists per game for UK, even though much of his role was "catch-and0shoot." With that said, the physical body of Malik Monk sizes up more like a point guard than a shooting guard for the NBA.

Russell Westbrook is 6'3″, 200 pounds, much like Malik Monk. The smaller Tony Parker is 6'2″ and 185 pounds, but is still in the same size realm. In other words, Malik Monk looks like an NBA point guard.

Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Perfect for the triangle

There has been more than enough written about the idiotic force-feeding of the triangle offense by Phil Jackson. The fact is the New York Knicks will run the triangle offense as long as Phil is running the show. With that being said, Malik Monk may be the perfect fit for the embattled offense.

When the triangle offense is initiated, a capable small forward has the ball at either elbow. Often, the point guard rotates to both the weak and strong sides of the floor. This rotation and movement depends on who has the ball and how the defense sets up.

In many cases, the point guard is not ball dominant but shoots from the outside or slashes to the basket. Malik Monk can be that point guard and can excel in that system. His shooting, ball handling and slashing ability would be a perfect mix if he can learn the offense.

Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Malik Monk is a scorer and the New York Knicks need scoring in the worst way. All indications from inside the Kentucky program are that Monk is a smart kid with a big heart for his team.

Traditional shooting guard types like James Harden and Russell Westbrook prove that talented guards can be transformed into successful point guards. Monk has the body type and skill-set that will allow him to run an NBA team as a point guard for the next decade.

Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Limitations and weaknesses

New York Knicks management must be aware of the limitations of Malik Monk and the weaknesses in his game. His lack of experience playing point guard is an obvious concern and it should be. However, there are other areas where Monk comes up short.

In the Elite Eight game against North Carolina, Monk was relatively quiet until hitting a huge three-pointer in the closing seconds. The reason Monk was quiet came from the defense of another Knicks' prospect, Justin Jackson.

Jackson stands 6'8″ and completely shadowed the smaller guard for the entire game. Monk could not break free and was unable to overcome the length of his defender. If Monk is used as a shooting guard, he will often be guarded by much taller players.

Most of the year John Calipari screamed at Monk for two reasons: not rebounding and not driving the ball. Eventually, the rebounding improved to a robust 2.5 rebounds per game. Monk did show off his athleticism with Kyrie Irving-like finishing ability when he did decide to get to the rim. Yet, many times Monk forget he could pump fake or was simply unwilling to drive the ball.

With further physical development, both of these limitations may actually become strengths. For now though, they are glaring weaknesses for Monk.

The New York Knicks need to draft a point guard and they need to get one that fits. In many mock draft scenarios, the Knicks select Malik Monk. If Phil Jackson has the courage to select Monk, he may very well nab the steal of the 2017 NBA Draft.

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