2017 NBA Mock Draft: The 76ers lock up a point guard

In this draft slot and with all the point guards off the board, the Dallas Mavericks would likely face a choice between Kentucky’s Malik Monk and Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen. Both players are elite shooters for their respective positions, but with Nerlens Noel likely to be back in the fold and Markkanen’s likely best spot being center, we’ll slot Dallas with Monk as someone who can develop into a starting two guard or be a go-to scoring option off the bench.

Monk was an elite scorer for the Wildcats, averaging 24.8 points per 40 minutes as a freshman. Most of his offense was generated from behind the 3-point arc where he made 39.7 percent of his attempts. Monk’s solid free throw shooting and high volume suggest that number should translate pretty well to the deeper NBA 3-point line.

Monk’s success from deep and De’Aaron Fox’s dominance of the ball also perhaps overshadowed some of the shooting guards creation ability. While there are some concerns here, specifically Monk’s lack of shots at the rim in the halfcourt, he does have some decent shake off the dribble and his court vision on simple reads out of the pick-and-roll is totally sufficient.

Monk probably won’t ever be a good defender, but his ability to exert effort on the offensive end could produce plenty of value for the Mavericks.

Learn more about Malik Monk at The Step Back.