Monk holds solo workout for 76ers
Kentucky’s Malik Monk had a solo workout for the 76ers Thursday as Philly ponders who to select with the third overall pick in next week’s NBA Draft.
Malik Monk does not want to be known solely as a shooting guard. In his mind, he’s a combo guard, someone who can play either spot in the backcourt.
That’s what the Sixers wanted to see when they brought in the 6-4 guard from Kentucky for a solo workout Thursday afternoon at the team’s practice facility.
Ben Simmons, last year’s first-round pick, is going to play the point, at least on offense, in Brett Brown’s system. That means the team needs someone who can play off of Simmons on offense and taken on the opposing point guard on defense.
“Ben’s here and he’s a great passer,” said Monk, who worked out in front of both Simmons and Joel Embiid. “I can play on the ball, off the ball and I think they need a shooter like this. Like me, like Terrance Ferguson (who played in the NBL in Australia last year), anybody that can shoot the ball. I don’t want to name call or anything like that, but I think I’m a perfect fit.”
Monk is the first player expected to go in the top 10 of the June 22 NBA Draft that the Sixers have brought in for a workout. His Kentucky teammate De’Aaron Fox, who is also expected to go in the top 10, is slated to work out for the team Saturday, according to several reports.
The Sixers have the No. 3 pick and Monk is a possibility, even though there are those who believe that at 197 pounds he does not have the frame to play the two guard in the NBA. Monk does not buy into those perceptions.
“People are always going to say what they want,” Monk said. “Some people said I couldn’t play off the ball when I went to Kentucky and I think I did a pretty good job at that so I just have to adjust and get in the weight room.”
Monk averaged 19.8 points per game in his only season at Kentucky and set the freshman record with 754 points scored. He shot 45 percent overall from the field and 39.7 percent from 3-point range.
Unlike Villanova’s Josh Hart and Oregon’s Dillon Brooks, who worked out for the Sixers in the morning and have worked out for 10 and 13 teams, respectively, Monk could be more selective in where he worked out.
The Sixers were the last team Monk worked out for before the draft. He’s also worked out for the Suns, Magic and the Knicks.
“It has been pretty laid back,” Monk said of the predraft process. “I didn’t do 30 workouts, thankful for that, but laid back fun. I’m enjoying it.”
••• Oregon’s Dillon Brooks was the star of the morning session, which featured six players in a 3-on-3 setting. The 6-6, 220-pound forward showed and ability to run the floor and shoot from 3-point range, something the Sixers desperately need.
“I raised my competitiveness,” Brooks said. “Playing 3-on-3 I just took shots that I practiced. They were falling today. There where great players out there who raised the intensity and that’s what I love.”
It was the 13th workout for Brooks. He said he also worked out for Bulls, Pacers, Bucks, Raptors, Celtics, Thunder, Magic, Jazz, Suns, Trail Blazers, Nets and Knicks. After his workout Brooks said he was given a quick lesson by the coaching staff of what he can expect from Philadelphia fans if he does windup as a Sixer.
“Coach told us about Philly, how hard and tough a place it is to play,” Brooks said. “They’re going to boo you if you lose and love you if you win. That’s one thing that I love.”
Brooks also received an impromptu history lesson as he took a little tour of the city.
“I learned a lot of things about American history, it was cool,” Brooks said.
••• The workout also was a reunion for Ennis. He played for Villanova for two season in 2013-14 and 2014-15 before transferring to Oregon for his final two years.
“It was great having all of them there,” Ennis said. “It goes beyond basketball with them. It’s a brotherhood with the guys and Coach Lange and Coach Wright are definitely seen as mentors in my corner. I talked to Coach Wright a week before I knew I was coming to Philly. To see him was like an everyday thing.”
One of the qualities the 6-2 guard showed is that he is not afraid of being a vocal leader. He was constantly yelling instructions to his 3-on-3 teammates and then talking to them on the side.
“That’s just who I am,” Ennis said. “Teams know if they pick me I’m going to be an experienced guard. Being in college for six years you have to get a niche and my niche is communication, making sure I’m an extension of the coach on the floor. I think that’s going to help me along the line with being picked by a team.”
••• Compared to everyone else at the workout, Reynolds was a newcomer. Thursday’s showcase with the Sixers was his first workout for an NBA team.
“I think it went well,” the Lower Merion grad said. “I played hard and competed.” That was the plan. “I wanted to show that I was going to compete through everything,” Reynolds said. “With the shooting drills, I was going to compete. When we played 3-on-3 that I could defend a couple of different positions and play the pick-and-roll, for the most part. I just wasn’t going to give in.”
Reynolds said that having former teammates Josh Hart and Dylan Ennis involved in the workout helped to ease any concerns about what was expected of him.
“It was comfortable,” Reynolds said. “I’m glad my first one was with guys that I knew; some familiar faces.”