Sacramento Kings Guard Malik Monk will miss an extended amount of time after sustaining a left calf injury. He left in a game against the Detroit Pistons on April 7 and will be reevaluated in roughly two weeks.
What Are the Hopes For the Kings Without Malik Monk?
The Sacramento Kings clinched a play-in berth Tuesday after the Golden State Warriors routed the Phoenix Suns 133-95. As of right now, the Kings could slip to 10th place in the Western Conference, but nothing less and no higher than 9th.
Monk will likely miss the play-in tournament. He has secretly been putting together a great season. He is averaging career highs in every major statistic category. After the Kings traded star Point Guard De’Aaron Fox, Monk adopted a much larger role, becoming the team’s starting point guard and facilitator.
Since the Fox trade, the Kings are 15-17 and have lost all their swagger since their last playoff berth in 2023. Needless to say, the Kings haven’t been exactly thriving this year. We will see a dramatic dip in offense in their last two regular season games and an imminent play-in run.
Without MoMnk, the Kings have a 3-12 record this year. Missing him is going to be a massive blow. With two games remaining in the year, the Kings still have a chance to reach .500 or above for the third straight season. A feat they have yet to accomplish since their winning season streak spanning from 2000-2006.
The Kings’ Remaining Schedule
Sacramento has had one of the most difficult closings to a season of any team this year. They lost to the Denver Nuggets yesterday, 124-116, with Nuggets star Nikola Jokic having another triple-double.
Left on their plate for the 2024-25 regular season are two home games in Sacramento. They are 19-20 at home this year. They face a smoking-hot Los Angeles Clippers team who have much to contend for as well as the Dallas Mavericks. These teams will inevitably be playing against each other in a 9-10 play-in tournament matchup. While they don’t necessarily need to win either of these games, rolling with momentum leading into a win-or-go-home game is preferable for the Kings.
Final Thoughts
The Kings have been on an up-and-down slope this year. After obtaining DeMar DeRozan in the offseason and trading for Zach LaVine, the Kings have faired no better at competing in a feisty Western Conference. It’s been disappointing, to say the least, and with the loss of one of their key contributors in Monk, it’s hard to see the Kings escaping the clutches of the play-in tournament.
