Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk said he doesn’t understand why coach Doug Christie benched him despite private and public explanations. Monk spoke exclusively with The Sacramento Bee before Sunday’s 125-124 win over the Houston Rockets.
Monk, the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year runner-up, was benched in back-to-back losses to Portland before playing five minutes against Houston. He entered the game in the second half and scored on a driving layup during Sacramento’s rally from a 14-point deficit.
Monk said Christie told him the bench meant he was trying something new. The explanation confused the guard.
“He just told me he’s trying something new,” Monk said. “That’s basically it, and I said, ‘Yeah, okay, I’ll be ready when my name is called.'”
When asked if he was confused by the decision, Monk responded immediately.
“One thousand percent,” Monk said. “But it’s not my job to find out why I’m not playing because I consider myself more than the whole, so I’ll just be ready when my name is called.”
The veteran guard tried to appear unfazed by the situation. He said his experience helps him deal with adversity.
“I’ve been in the league long enough where I don’t let this stuff affect me,” Monk said.
However, Monk couldn’t quite hide his frustration at missing playing time.
“Everyone knows I want to be there, especially when I play in front of this crowd in Sac, but I can’t do anything about it,” Monk said.
Kings fans gave Monk a big ovation when he started Sunday’s game with 4:45 left in the third quarter.
Christie described a “logjam” in Sacramento’s backcourt, with Monk being the “odd man” in a numbers game before Sunday’s game. The coach initially planned to play Keon Ellis instead of Monk, but called on the veteran after Ellis fouled Houston guard Reed Sheppard on a three-point attempt with 0.9 seconds left in the first half.
“There are a lot of challenges,” Christie said. “You can’t play everyone. That’s just the nature of what it is. This isn’t participation. It’s professional sports, and right now we’re in a logjam, but everyone’s participating.”
Christie emphasized performance-based decisions for the future.
“If someone doesn’t play great, there’s a very good chance someone else is going to play,” Christie said. “If someone doesn’t play to our competitive standard, of all the different things that we value, then obviously there’s a good chance that they’re going to drop out of the game.”
The win ended Sacramento’s five-game losing streak.
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