With De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and new Kings star DeMar DeRozan taking the Golden 1 Center practice facility court together for the first time last Tuesday, there was another voice that stood out above all.
As Day 1 of training camp wrapped up and the final minutes of practice opened to the media, reporters were welcomed to a new season with a handful of NSFW blurbs made by none other than beloved Kings guard Malik Monk.
New season, same Monk.
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But the Kings wouldn’t want it any other way, and after re-signing with Sacramento this offseason despite being able to cash out a massive payday elsewhere in free agency, neither would he.
“Oh, Malik's talking,” Fox said Tuesday, smiling. “That's the way that he is. Practice went over a little bit today so he let the coaches know. He saw the practice sheet and was like, ‘Yeah, we were supposed to be done a while ago.’
“That's Malik being Malik. We don't want him to change. You need that, it keeps everyone accountable but it also keeps practice a little lighthearted.”
Lighthearted for Fox and the players, but maybe not so much for Kings coach Mike Brown and his staff.
NBA
After calling Brown out for running practice long Tuesday, Monk somehow got a hold of the team’s practice plan again the following day. And the next, and the next, and the next.
Three days into training camp and a third consecutive day of Malik Monk holding his Sacramento Kings coaching staff accountable for the practice schedule running long. @AhmadMonk 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/c45Xf5NvaI
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) October 3, 2024
Accountability has been a big thing for Brown since becoming head coach in 2022, and it’s a two-way street with him and his players – at least as long as Monk is on this roster.
“It's probably the one thing that I did miss is him making sure that I'm on my Ps and Qs,” Brown said, laughing. “We all got to be held accountable, and he definitely will hold me accountable, for sure.”
And as long as Monk is on this roster, it seems increasingly likely he’ll remain in that sixth-man role where he has thrived for Sacramento over the last two seasons.
Through a week of training camp, it has been rising guard Keon Ellis running with the 1s while sharpshooter Kevin Huerter works his way back from a shoulder injury, alongside Fox, DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Sabonis.
While there has been plenty of chatter about whether Monk should start or continue to serve as the leader of the second unit, Brown believes having a player like Monk coming off the bench is a “luxury” other teams desire.
And every time you ask Brown about Monk’s potential role with the team, he’ll share a story – the story – about coaching some of the best sixth men in the world in Manu Ginóbili with the San Antonio Spurs and Andre Iguodala with the Golden State Warriors.
Long story short: it’s a good problem to have for Brown and the Kings. And like in life, Brown added, it’s not about who starts but who finishes, with Monk likely in those closing lineups for Sacramento.
Mike Brown shares where Malik Monk might fit in the Kings’ rotation pic.twitter.com/Aig0xE19Pe
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) October 1, 2024
Monk, who previously has stated he would like to start, is OK with whichever role he is given. And whatever that role might be, his job of holding Brown accountable won’t waver.
After Day 2 of camp last Wednesday, Monk shared an honest assessment of how camp was going thus far.
“Like the first day of school, it’s always boring,” Monk said. “Mike be talking too f–---g much. And yeah, just a lot of learning. But it’s fun just to get back going, back in the practice gym, back up and down with the guys. It’s fun.”
Although the bluntly honest words come out of Monk’s mouth, the Arkansas native said he’s probably just saying everything the rest of the team wants to say, adding DeRozan also has had his back in keeping coaches accountable.
Did anything surprise DeMar during Day 1 of Kings training camp?
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) October 1, 2024
“Just how much Malik talks trash.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/FcCSc1kM9a
With the other team leaders such as Fox and Sabonis being more lead-by-example guys, Monk believes it’s his responsibility to keep things light and fun during practices and games.
But it wasn’t always like that.
“I wasn't looking at it like that the last two years,” Monk said, “but especially now since I came back and got a little bit more money, yeah I got to voice my opinion and stuff now.”
Following a rocky welcoming to his NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets, Monk got a fresh start with the Los Angeles Lakers before finding his “home” with the Kings.
In that home, he also found his voice – which had been missing before coming to Sacramento.
“Yeah, six years man. When I got here, I found it,” Monk said. “It took me six years. And that’s another reason why I stayed. I just found myself. I'm thankful for it.
“A lot of people get out of here within four years after their rookie contract is up, and never get the opportunity. And people wonder why they didn’t get the opportunity, and it’s because no team opened up and let them be themselves. Vivek [Ranadivé] got me, Wes [Wilcox] got me, Monte [McNair] got me and Mike got me here. So I’m thankful for it.”
Monk does more with that voice than chew out Brown. He's also been a leader to young Kings players such as Colby Jones and Ellis. At Media Day, NBC Sports California asked Jones what it meant to have Monk return to the team.
"I was super excited when he came back," Jones said. "He was my vet last year, he took me under his wing. I felt like we got pretty close throughout the season. And just to have that guy I looked up to last year coming back is super exciting.
"I'm definitely excited to work with him again."
The start of the offseason circled around whether Monk had played his final game as a Sacramento King. Entering the new season, it's been about his role. But the truth is: Malik Monk is a man of many roles.
He keeps Brown and the Kings' coaching staff on their toes. He is the energetic boost off the bench teams dream of having while also being an effective closer. He is a friend. He is a leader. He is a winner. He is the heartbeat of this team.
And he is home.
Ready to take on another season as the Kings aim to inch their way back into playoff contention.