With 3 minutes, 42 seconds remaining in the first quarter of a NBA preseason game that didn't exactly draw much buzz Tuesday night, Charlotte Hornets shooting guard Malik Monk provided a nice touch of comic relief while trying to check into the game against the Miami Heat.
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The Hornets were already trailing by nine points, so a spark from Monk, the second-year guard and former lottery pick, was needed. The only problem? He forgot to put on his jersey before the game and took a rather hilarious walk of shame from the scorer's table to the locker room to go get it.
It's only the preseason, so this is definitely acceptable, but don't think for a second he didn't get some grief from his teammates for the silly mistake.
Imagine showing up to school without your backpack. Imagine going to a business meeting without your material. Heck, even picture trying to attend the game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina without a ticket. That's pretty much the equivalent to the accidental stunt Monk pulled off. The only difference is this is actually funny.
At the end of the day, Monk and the Hornets got the last laugh, beating the Heat 122-113, and the 6-foot-3 shooting guard finished with eight points on 3-for-7 shooting, with one rebound, and seven assists in 22 minutes.
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Monk enjoyed a solid rookie campaign after he was named the SEC Player of the Year and won the Jerry West Award in his lone season with the Kentucky Wildcats. He averaged 6.7 points on 36 percent shooting, including 34 percent from 3-point range, 1.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists during 13.6 minutes per game last year.
He played in 63 NBA games in his first campaign and even played one game from the Greensboro Swarm, the organization's NBA G League affiliate where he dropped 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Monk definitely has the talent to be a productive NBA player, but it would probably be wise if he remembers to put on that No. 1 jersey before each game.
