Riding a seven-game win streak, the Sacramento Kings head into a marquee road matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

The Kings have seen a massive culture shift since promoting Doug Christie to interim head coach, but an underrated move was moving Malik Monk into the starting lineup. Monk played 170 games with the Kings before earning his first start, but has taken off ever since.

The reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year runner-up is averaging 18.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game as a starter this season, going from one of the league’s top sixth men to a valuable starter.

Monk joining his college teammate, De’Aaron Fox, in the starting lineup was long overdue but better late than never. Monk has played a huge role in Sacramento’s seven-game win streak, but he will not be available during their attempt at an eighth straight win.

The Kings have officially ruled out Monk for Tuesday’s matchup in Milwaukee with groin soreness.

Monk has already missed seven games this season, as the Kings are a disappointing 2-5 without him. Not having their standout guard has proven to be a significant blow, but the Kings will need to find other ways to get the job done in Milwaukee.

Monk was originally given a questionable status for Tuesday’s matchup but was downgraded to out after not participating in Sacramento’s pregame shootaround, per Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman.

With Monk sidelined, the Kings will likely look to Keon Ellis to return to the starting lineup, which is certainly not the worst-case scenario. The lockdown guard will likely draw the defensive assignment of Bucks star Damian Lillard, as Ellis is certainly the most capable guard defender in Sacramento.