CHARLOTTE, NC – NOVEMBER 01: Malik Monk #1 of the Charlotte Hornets reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during their game at Spectrum Center on November 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Malik Monk and Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets have been playing well together on the court, even providing some highlights.
The Charlotte Hornets took on the New Orleans Pelicans yesterday afternoon, and Malik Monk and Miles Bridges woke the crowd up with an electrifying play. Monk snuck behind Anthony Davis and stole the ball which then sparked a fast break where he threw the ball off the backboard to Bridges who finished it with a slam.
Although the Hornets ended up losing this game 119-109, there were still positive takeaways from it. Monk and Bridges have been playing well off the bench for the Hornets of late and seem to be building up chemistry on the court between one another. As the announcer stated after the dunk, a play like that is not scripted so they just had a good feel for each other while they were on the fast break.
The expectations for Monk and Bridges are fairly high in Charlotte, as they were both selected in the first round in the past two NBA Drafts. Monk struggled during his rookie season, missing time with injury and not being able to his jumper consistently. This season he’s been providing a nice scoring punch off the bench currently averaging 10.3 points and hitting 1.7 3-pointers a game.
Bridges has gradually been getting more minutes off the bench and has been thrusted into more playing time as the Hornets had the injury bug hit some of their wing players. He’s currently averaging 7.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Both players are only 20-years old and still have plenty of untapped potential to reach as their careers progress. The Hornets are firmly in the playoff mix in the Eastern Conference, and Monk and Bridges will be needed for this to continue. Maybe we can cool the Kemba Walker trade rumors a bit and start focusing on this bright future for the Hornets.