Will Kemba Walker’s shoulder keep him out Wednesday? If so, MCW (and Malik Monk) are ready

Charlotte Hornets fans who have been clamoring for rookie guard Malik Monk the past few weeks may finally get their wish on Wednesday.

Coach Steve Clifford said Tuesday that starting point guard Kemba Walker is doubtful to play Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors because of a left shoulder contusion suffered during Saturday night’s loss to San Antonio.

Walker hardly practiced on Tuesday, and Clifford said in the likely event that Walker can’t play, Michael Carter-Williams would start.

“Whether Kemba plays or not, I’m gonna be ready to go,” Carter-Williams said Tuesday. “Like I’ve been saying all season, just trying to do anything for the team to win.”

But if Walker can’t play, then Clifford will need someone to assume backup point duties... and that role will likely fall to Monk.

Monk’s size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) is considered small for a shooting guard, the position he mostly played at Kentucky. Clifford began the season experimenting with Monk as a backup point guard while Carter-Williams was out with a knee injury. In that time, Monk played well in spurts, and in 17 games this season he’s averaging 7.5 points and 1.7 assists.

But when Carter-Williams and Nic Batum, also out with an elbow injury, rejoined the lineup in recent weeks, Monk’s playing time fell off. He played Saturday against the Spurs, but not until the third quarter with the game growing out of reach.

Meantime, Carter-Williams has shown the length and defensive capability that made him an attractive free-agent target for Clifford over the summer.

Carter-Williams has only played in eight games this season and never for more than 20 minutes. Wednesday should be a barometer for both how healthy his knees are and his conditioning after missing several weeks of game action, especially having to guard Toronto’s All-Star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

“You’ve got to stay locked in against both of those guys ... they both do a lot of tricky things on the floor,” Carter-Williams said. “I’ll just try to make plays and stick to my game and not do too much.”

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Will Kemba Walker’s shoulder keep him out Wednesday? If so, MCW (and Malik Monk) are ready."