“Michael Jordan’s treatment of Malik Monk in Charlotte was just disrespectful”: The LA Lakers guard proving his worth since getting a starting role for the Purple and Gold franchise

Akash Murty | 05/01/2022
"Michael Jordan's treatment of Malik Monk in Charlotte was just disrespectful": The LA Lakers guard proving his worth since getting a starting role for the Purple and Gold franchise

Malik Monk’s performance since starting the games for the Lakers is a knock on both Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

The Los Angeles Lakers were able to sign some future Hall of Famers this past off-season. They even signed two of the NBA’s top-75 players of all time in Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook.

But signing Malik Monk to a minimum contract is turning out to be the best business by the Lakers in the off-season. The shooting guard was a free agent after spending four years with the Charlotte Hornets, who drafted the Kentucky Alum back in 2017.

Also read: “Just making easy reads, I’d rather get shots at the basket than turn the ball over”: Russell Westbrook on having 0 turnovers against the Kings, snapping his 407 game streak with at least one turnover

Monk was in total surprise when he found himself in the free agency at the end of last season, even after being an efficient player for Michael Jordan’s team. The 11th pick of the 2017 Draft said L.A. turned out to be the only side showing a serious interest in securing his services.

“It was crazy for me because … you never see that many lottery picks that get to be unrestricted [free agents],” Monk said recently.

Bench player for the Hornets, Malik Monk, is now a starter for the Lakers

From starting just one game for the Hornets in 4-years to now being the starting two-guard for the Purple and Gold. The 23-year-old has been averaging well above 20-points per game in the last six matches since he is in the starting line-up.

LeBron James addressed the fact in a funny tweet that Monk deserved to be in a better place than his prior situation, after the guard’s 24-point game in the win against the Kings. He went 6/11 from downtown and drilled 3 of them towards the end of the game.

It is a big jump for Monk, from getting smacked by MJ after a game and later left stranded as a free agent to now putting up consistent performance since getting the starting role. It is a big knock on the Lakers and LeBron James as well.

Also read: “Russell Westbrook had 0 turnovers for the first time in 408 games!”: ESPN uncovers incredible stat after Lakers’ star’s recent performance vs Kings

Post Edited By: Joe Viju
Charlotte Hornets LA Lakers LeBron James Malik Monk Michael Jordan

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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