Kentucky Basketball: Phoenix Suns enamored with Malik Monk after workout

Former Kentucky Basketball guard Malik Monk impressed the Phoenix Suns’ staff after his workout on Tuesday afternoon.

Malik Monk is one of the top names in the 2017 NBA Draft pool. He recently finished a workout with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are already a team loaded with Kentucky Basketball Alumni. What’s it going to hurt to add another name to the team?

Pat Connelly is the assistant general manager of the Phoenix Suns. He claims that Malik Monk had one of the best shooting performances in a workout in quite some time. That’s nothing surprising when it comes to Kentucky Basketball fans. We’ve seen this all season from Malik Monk. The Lepanto, Arkansas native broke the freshman single season scoring record last season with 754 points. He averaged just under 20 points per game in his freshman campaign.

Most of his talent comes from his ability to shoot the ball from behind the arc. He lit up the scoreboard in many games while wearing the Kentucky uniform. Most notably, his performance in the regular season matchup with North Carolina was one of the top stat lines in all of college basketball last season. Monk went off for 47 points in the barnburner of a win for the Wildcats.

The Phoenix Suns

It isn’t a secret that Phoenix has a knack for drafting Kentucky Basketball players. The organization trusts that these young men are ready to play in the NBA. Most recently, Devin Booker, one of the top shooting guards in the NBA has taken the league by storm. His shot has taken him to new heights. Drafting a player like Malik Monk could only amplify the Suns’ scoring options.

Monk is projected mainly in the top 10 of all Mock Drafts. Some have him going as early as fourth overall. Draft Express has Monk dropping all the way to the eighth pick heading to the New York Knicks. The Phoenix Suns have the fourth overall picking the 2017 NBA Draft. For the Suns to consider taking Monk at that slot a few things need to happen. Markelle Fultz is considered the top pick by nearly every media outlet. Lonzo Ball and De’Aaron Fox will battle it out for the number two pick to Los Angeles. The man left out of that equation would most likely be the third overall pick to the Philadelphia 76ers.

After that, guys like Joshua Jackson from Kansas and Jayson Tatum from Duke would have to be passed on by the Suns. Quite frankly, I don’t see the Suns passing up a position of need to draft another guard. With a stable full of Kentucky guards as it is, it’s highly unlikely that they will add to it.

Next: 3 reasons Kentucky wins the 2018 National Title

Although, there isn’t a Kentucky Basketball fan out there that wouldn’t love to see Malik Monk make his way to Phoenix to play. Plus, Malik doesn’t shy away from competition and always knows what to say.