Oct 22, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) against the Phoenix Suns at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kings' Malik Monk Gets Honest About Getting Benched

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Dec 22, 2025 12:14 PM ET

The Sacramento Kings have had a 2025-26 season filled with turmoil, including some questionable decisions by Doug Christie and his coaching staff, but their recent move was arguably the most head-scratching.

The Kings had two consecutive games against the Portland Trail Blazers, and standout guard Malik Monk did not touch the court in either of them. This marked Monk's first DNP-CD since joining the Kings in 2022, but the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year runner-up is handling it like a professional.

“He just told me he’s trying something new,” Monk said, via The Sacramento Bee's Jason Anderson. “That’s basically it, and I said, ‘Yeah, OK, I’ll be ready whenever my name is called.' ...One thousand percent [I was confused], but it's not my job to figure out why I'm not playing because I deem myself more than the whole, so I'll just be ready when my name is called."

Malik Monk makes his first appearance of the night in Q3, much to the enjoyment of the G1C crowd.

Would guess he’s taking Ellis’s minutes this half pic.twitter.com/yhH18cUplR
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 22, 2025

Monk tries to understand Christie's decision

Thankfully, Monk returned to action in Sunday's win over the Houston Rockets, where he logged two points in just five minutes. Monk, who has proven to be one of Sacramento's top offensive talents and their elite sixth man, has now logged just five total minutes over a three-game span. This seems like coaching malpractice, but Monk knows there is nothing he can do about it.

"I've been in the league long enough where I don't let this stuff get to me," Monk continued. "Everybody knows I want to be out there, especially playing in front of this crowd in Sac, but there ain't s--t I can do about it."

When first explaining the decision to bench Monk, Christie said it is because of their "logjam" at the guard position, so he is having to choose between Monk and Keon Ellis and is trying to figure out what works best. Still, giving Monk or Ellis zero minutes on any given night seems wrong.

With the NBA trade season on our hands, the Kings will undoubtedly have to make moves to clear up the backcourt logjam, and after logging two consecutive DNP-CDs, there is a likely scenario where Monk is ready to move on to a team that, one, appreciates his talents more, and two, is competitive.