Freshman shooting guard out of Kentucky Malik Monk was shocked the New York Knicks didn’t take him with the 8th pick of the draft.

For New York and many others, this year’s draft was met with a lot of anticipation. This overall talent class was one of the best in recent years, and the Knicks held a lottery pick, their second in three years.

With a pick just outside the range of immediate impact talent, most fans expected them to select point guard Dennis Smith Jr. Most mock drafts had Monk falling out of reach for the Knicks, so fans prepared for disappointment.

No one was ready for who was available once New York was on the board–shooting guard Malik Monk. As Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reports, before the draft, Monk and his entire family alike were preparing for a career in New York.

New York and NBA fans alike were shocked when New York opted to select French point guard Frank Ntilikina instead.

Malik Monk slid to Charlotte at pick eleven, and the rest is history.


In his freshman year at Kentucky, the shooting guard averaged 19.8 points on 40 percent shooting from behind the arc.

Fans doubted Phil Jackson when he drafted Kristaps Porzingis, and even though he’s gone, maybe they should still trust that draft intuition now.