Ultimate Upside Comparison: Brandon Roy
Safe Upside Comparison: Ben Gordon
Position: Guard
Age: 19 (2/4/1998)
Height, Weight, Wingspan: 6’4″, 197 pounds, 6’6″
2016-17 Slash Line: .450/.397/.822
2016-17 Season Averages: 32.1 MPG, 19.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 2.7 3PM
Between Thursday, Jan. 12 and Friday, Mar. 10, the Dallas Mavericks accumulated a record of 17-9. It’s no coincidence that during that 26-game stretch, Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell emerged as steady contributors to Rick Carlisle’s offense.
Curry and Ferrell have long-term value in the NBA, but the benefits of their emergence was a clear sign of how desperately Dallas needs stability in the backcourt.
Monk is an explosive athlete with an elite 3-point shot, which is a rare combination of positive traits. Many possess elite athleticism or an elite jumper, with a healthy pool checking boxes as above-average in both areas.
Monk’s combination of athletic ability and 3-point shooting can only be described as unique.
The fact that he can play without the ball and stretch the floor creates the possibility for Monk to be a better version of Seth Curry in Dallas.
The select few who join Monk in fitting the description of elite athletes and shooters have excelled on a powerful level. Thus, while he may have a shorter wingspan and less proficiency in the post, Monk has a chance to become the combo guard version of a young Brandon Roy.
That’s an ambitious comparison based on the all-time trajectory Roy was on, but this is the perfect era for a player of Monk’s mold to thrive.