With star-studded names like LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, and Carmelo Anthony, nobody would have expected Malik Monk to be the hero of the Lakers this season.
So far, that’s exactly what he’s been.
As one of the more ignored moves of the summer for L.A., his signing didn’t generate a whole lot of hype at the time.
But since returning from health and safety protocols, Monk has been on a tear, averaging 20.7 points on 56.6% shooting from the field and 45.5% from 3-point range in six games.
Of course, his best performance of all came on Friday, when he dropped a season-high 29 points on 7-12 shooting from three.
It was a great time for Lakers fans, who took to Twitter to celebrate the win.
let’s settle this once and for all 🥱 #MalikMonk #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/AxhumscCgM
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) January 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/OfficialMAin600/status/1479673065357418501https://twitter.com/AustinPlanet/status/1479673029026324483
How the hornets looking at this Malik Monk pic.twitter.com/fB5dm9N5cb
— DARIUS A. (@IAMDARIUSALFORD) January 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/LeBronGoCrazyy/status/1479672238970486784
Guess who's getting "randomly" drug tested tomorrow? 🤣🤣🤣
— ✖️TeQno✖️ (@iQueue211) January 8, 2022
Malik Monk after this season. pic.twitter.com/V4kZeMTSqB
— Colb (@___Colb___) January 8, 2022
MALIK MONK WROTE THE BOOK ON HOW TO SHOOT A BASKETBALL
— Grant Goldberg (@GrantGoldberg) January 8, 2022
Monk, 23, has only been in the league for four seasons. After being drafted 11th overall in the 2017 draft, Monk would begin his career in Charlotte, playing mostly as a shooting guard before becoming a free agent in 2021.
As he would later reveal, only the Lakers really expressed any interest in signing him, and he went on to join the team as a permanent member. According to LeBron, he actually wanted to sign Monk much, much earlier.
“It’s funny, just a little quick backstory, me and J [Jason] Kidd, we talked a lot last year,” said LeBron. “We wanted him last year. When Charlotte stopped playing him last year, or they would play him, and then sit him for five or six games, and then they would play him, and then you would see him have a game at Miami where he had like eight or nine threes in Miami, and then they would sit him and not play him. Me and J Kidd, we would talk all the time, like, ‘Is there a way we can snatch this guy from their roster?'”
Whatever the case, Monk has seemingly used league-wide disinterest to fuel his current run, and Lakers fans are enjoying every moment.
It’s hard to say for certain if this pace is sustainable for the youngster, but it doesn’t have to be. All he has to do is keep making threes and play his heart out. Everything else will fall in line.
