How Charlotte Hornets will get 2 rookies some playing time

The Charlotte Hornets are sending rookies Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon to their G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, to get them some playing time.

Monk, the 11th overall pick in June, has totaled 39 minutes in his past six games. Bacon, the 40th overall pick, has totaled eight minutes in those six games, playing in two of the six.

The Swarm has a 1 p.m. home game Tuesday against the Wisconsin Herd (the Milwaukee Bucks’ G-League affiliate, based in Greensboro). So Monk and Bacon can play in that game, rather than practice with the Hornets, then could make the trip back to Charlotte for Wednesday’s home game against the Boston Celtics.

Such short-term G-League assignments are commonplace. It’s why so many NBA teams want their G-League affiliates geographically close. For instance, point guard Julyan Stone played a game with Swarm recently to get some minutes. The Hornets were off from practice Sunday and Monday for the Christmas holiday. After the home game against the Celtics, they leave on a four-game West Coast trip.

Bacon and Monk played considerably more early in the Hornets’ season. Bacon was a fill-in starter when Nic Batum was recovering from a torn tendon in his left elbow. Monk played 17 or more minutes in each of his first 12 Hornets games. A guard out of Kentucky, Monk has struggled defensively.

Associate head coach Stephen Silas, filling in for an ailing Steve Clifford, said following a Dec. 9 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers that he’d tighten the rotation. Monk and Bacon were trimmed, and.more experienced players – particularly forward Treveon Graham – have gotten additional playing time.

This is the first G-League assignment for either Monk or Bacon.

This story was originally published December 25, 2017 at 4:45 PM with the headline "How Charlotte Hornets will get 2 rookies some playing time."