CHAPEL HILL, N.C. _ The Charlotte Hornets desperately need the scoring Malik Monk could provide.
What they can't afford is the defense Monk has provided.
Is there a middle ground to get a return on the investment the Hornets have made on shooting guard Monk's NBA development?
Coach James Borrego says he's demanding stepped-up defense this season. The team's first training camp practice Tuesday at the Smith Center reflected that; players said almost the entire 2 {-hour session was devoted to guarding better.
That has never been Monk's forte. Each of his prior two seasons, first with Steve Clifford as coach, then with Borrego, Monk intermittently slipped out of the rotation, primarily due to his lack of serviceable defense.
Monk believes he's not all that bad at it, contending he got pulled so quickly after each mistake he never refined what he needs to do.
"It's a bad rap," Monk said. "I never really got the opportunity to mess up, because if I mess up, I'm coming out of the game. The last two years that's been happening.
"I've been watching film on that, and trying not to mess up. You're going to mess up in basketball. It happens. But if I get a consistent opportunity and out there a lot, I'm pretty sure I'll improve and prove it for everybody."
The Hornets need Monk to perform; they passed over Donovan Mitchell, now a star for the Utah Jazz, to select him 11th overall in the 2017 draft. The more time passes from Monk being a lottery pick, the less that grants him license. However, the attraction, based on Monk's one season at Kentucky, was a gift for scoring in a variety of ways.
Never in Monk's time on this roster have the Hornets needed the scoring skills he demonstrated in college, where he averaging nearly 20 points per game. Kemba Walker is now in Boston and Jeremy Lamb is in Indiana. Those two combined last season for 41 of the Hornets' average 111 points.
The rub is Borrego's patience with poor defense has worn thin. He entered his second season as coach with an edict that those who don't defend effectively won't play.
"If you're going to say you're about defense, then that needs to be tied to playing time," Borrego said "If you're not going to commit to the defensive end, you're not going to see a lot of playing time."
