NBA All-Star Anthony Davis heaped high praise on new teammate Malik Monk after a preseason game against Brooklyn Nets.
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The Lakers’ game against the Nets turned out to be a lopsided victory for the team from Brooklyn. However, a bright spot for the LA Lakers was the performance of new free agent signing Malik Monk.
The 1x NBA champion expressed how glad he was to be teammates with the rising guard from the University of Kentucky.
Anthony Davis on Malik Monk: “We’re still surprised we got him, to be honest.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 3, 2021
AD goes on to say –
“I’m still surprised we got him, to be honest. Hell of a player.”
The 23-year-old guard came off the bench for 21 minutes, mostly in the second and third quarters, and dropped in 15 points to lead the Lakers in scoring.
He made 6-of-12 field goals, including a 3-of-6 clip from deep. As a result, he was 50% from three as well as the field, which shows he is very efficient.
If this performance is a sneak peek of what is to be expected from Malik Monk, the Lakers fanbase should be really excited. But how exactly does he help the Lakers?
Read on and find out.
How exactly can Malik Monk help the LA Lakers?
He is coming off a spectacular year with the Charlotte Hornets. Malik Monk hit a career-best of 40.1% from three and showed improvement on both ends of the floor. Nevertheless, the team decided not to make him a qualifying contract offer and made him a free agent.
The Los Angeles GM Rob Pelinka stepped in when they were hungry for more shooting and picked Monk up to fill that void.
The Lakers are looking for dynamic offensive players. Monk certainly fit the bill, having scored more than 20 points on eight occasions last season, and more than 30 points two other times.
Despite this production and promise, Monk was still able to sign a minimum veteran contract.
The Lakers fans and front office will certainly hope that Monk’s game continues to trend as positively as it did last season. They hope he can provide the offensive spark if and when LeBron and company require it. Additionally, they would wish that he also play a little defense along the way.
Let’s wait and watch if he performs under the bright lights of Los Angeles.
