Most of Monk’s fellow lottery picks enter the season with opportunity and hype gathered around them. From Lonzo Ball to Donovan Mitchell, many of his classmates have impressed this summer as a preview of their skills.
On the other hand, Monk has been stuck on the sidelines, still rehabbing an ankle injury that has plagued him since shortly before the draft. After missing all of summer league, he has been limited in practice and most likely will have his minutes monitored when he sees the floor in preseason.
Other top picks have had slow starts in recent seasons, and players such as Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid have sat out their entire rookie seasons.