Malik Monk Says He Thought Knicks Were Drafting Him, Details Pre-Draft Meeting

Charlotte Hornets rookie Malik Monk took it personally when the New York Knicks overlooked him in the 2017 draft, instead using the No. 8 pick on Frank Ntilikina. 

"Me, my agent, everybody in my agency, my family—we thought we were going to New York," he said, per the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. "It was here, my agent is here (based in New York), a great agent, everybody thought it was going to be here. Went to dinner with [former Knicks president Phil Jackson], had a great workout, everything was positive."

The Hornets selected Monk three picks later, and he told Bondy the fact he slipped to 11th overall will be a source of motivation during his NBA career.

One could argue in retrospect Monk would've been the better option for the Knicks. Ntilikina's fit in the triangle offense was one of the reasons New York selected him, but the triangle offense went out the second the Knicks and Jackson mutually agreed to go their separate ways.

The Knicks' misfortune could be the Hornets' gain, though.

Monk averaged 19.8 points per game and shot 39.7 percent from beyond the arc in his one season with the Kentucky Wildcats. His best single-game performance came when he scored 47 points in a 103-100 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels.

It's doubtful Monk will start right away for Charlotte, with Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum holding down the starting spots at the two guard positions.

The 19-year-old figures to be a big part of the franchise's future, however, and the Knicks may very well regret passing on him in June.