Not afraid of the moment.

That’s how Charlotte coach James Borrego describes second-year guard Malik Monk, a first-round draft pick the Hornets really need to work out for them.

Monk, the No. 11 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, has had an on-and-off first eight games for the Hornets this season. On Tuesday night, he was really on — scoring 20 points in just under 24 minutes of playing time and doing so on only 10 shots from the field.

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It was the sort of performance that showed what Monk can be at his best — a legitimate second scoring option behind Kemba Walker.

In the previous four games, on the other hand, Monk had been very inefficient, making only 11 of 38 shots from the field (28.9 percent). So right now there’s a question as to which version of Malik Monk you’re going to get each night.

That makes sense in a way, given the vagaries of youth.

“What is he, 19 or 20?” veteran Nic Batum said of Monk.

Yes, Monk is only 20 years old and is just now getting his first sustained dose of important NBA minutes. Previous Hornets coach Steve Clifford didn’t like to play Monk — defense was a particular issue — and almost never used the former Kentucky guard at crunch time.

Borrego, though, seems intent on giving Monk a chance to shine or flounder (and I would think general manager Mitch Kupchak very much wants to see what he’s got with Monk, too). As the Hornets (4-4) try to figure out how to win games in the fourth quarter, they are experimenting with an undersized but flashy lineup in the final minutes that includes Walker, Tony Parker and Monk as the guards.

Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego (left) says second-year guard Malik Monk “is a kid that’s only getting better.” Monk had 20 points in a win over Miami Tuesday night, shooting 4-of-6 from three-point range. Bob Leverone AP

“We need that kid as another scorer, another dimension,” Borrego said of Monk. “You look on the court tonight I had a group out there — Tony Parker, Kemba Walker and Malik Monk — and that’s tough to guard. There’s shooting out there. There’s playmaking out there.”





There’s also not a lot of rebounding or defense out there with that lineup, so it’s a gamble. But Monk is worth the gamble on the nights he is hitting some shots, because the Hornets get too predictable too often in the fourth quarter when Walker becomes the first, second and third scoring options.

“He needs as much of a break as he can,” Monk said of Walker, who is averaging 30.1 points per game to Monk’s 12.1 (second on the team). “He’s going to play a lot and get a lot of shots. That’s what he does. We know that. We’ve got to have someone to give him a break, and I think that’s why I’m here. I’ve just got to step up now.”

In Walker and Parker, Monk has a couple of all-star mentors who can help him hone his game. Parker said he has mostly tried to tell Monk to “be patient” and “stay in the moment.”

Said Parker: “He’s got all the tools. ... He’s a great scorer and as he gets more years in the league he’s going to be a very good guy and he’s going to be tough to guard.”

Monk’s shot selection is iffy at times. But as his single year at Kentucky showed — remember that 47-point performance against North Carolina? — he can take and make big shots.

“Last week in Miami he made two shots that, for me, won the game for us,” Batum said of Monk. “They were fearless shots. He can do that.”

Monk is also capable of going 1-for-8, as he did in Charlotte’s two-point loss to Philadelphia Saturday night. But he’s trying not to let the bad games linger. And with more playing time, that’s more possible.

“He’s maturing right before our eyes,” Borrego said of Monk. “He responded (positively) to the Philadelphia game (against Miami). He was professional. Played his role perfectly. He wasn’t out of control. He understood what we were trying to do out there. ... And this kid’s got upside. He’s got a great ceiling ahead of him.”

Said Walker: “Malik is getting better each and every day. We’re trying to preach to him that we need him. We need him to make shots. We need him to be aggressive.”

Now they just need Monk to do all of that more often.