Sacramento Kings’ Malik Monk to Miss 4-6 Weeks with Knee Injury
Sacramento Kings’ guard Malik Monk is set to endure a setback as he will be sidelined for four to six weeks due to a sprained MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury in his right knee, as reported by multiple sources on Saturday.
Monk, a prominent candidate for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, sustained the injury during a collision with Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter of the Kings’ 107-103 defeat on Friday night.
The timing of Monk’s injury is particularly concerning as it rules him out for the remainder of the regular season. For him to have any chance of returning this season, Sacramento would likely need to progress to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Kings, currently positioned eighth in the West with a record of 42-31, find themselves two games behind the Mavericks for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the top six. However, Dallas recently swept Sacramento in a two-game series on the Kings’ home court.
This unfortunate news compounds the injury woes for the Kings, coming just a day after starting shooting guard Kevin Huerter was ruled out for the remainder of the season due to left shoulder surgery, a result of an injury sustained against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 18.
🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️😒
— Malik Monk (@AhmadMonk) March 30, 2024
Monk, aged 26, has been enjoying a career-best season with averages of 15.4 points and 5.1 assists in 72 games off the bench. He has been a significant contributor for the Kings, particularly from beyond the arc, where he has made 148 three-pointers at a 35-percent shooting rate.
Throughout his seven-year NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets (2017-2021), Los Angeles Lakers (2021-2022), and now the Kings, Monk has maintained career averages of 11.6 points and 2.8 assists, while tallying a total of 799 career three-pointers.
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