Malik Monk's Brutally Honest Comment About Trey Lyles

Malik Monk had an honest answer when asked about Trey Lyles recent improved play.

Mar 25, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles (left) and guard Malik Monk (right) laugh before the game against the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings snapped their 6-game losing streak last night with a 110-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks, thanks in large part to Trey Lyles' 14 points and 4 rebounds off the bench.

With Malik Monk in the starting lineup, Sacramento needs someone to pick up the slack for bench scoring, and Lyles has done just that since his return from his calf injury.

Over the last five games, Lyles is averaging 10.2 points and 4.6 rebounds on 44.4% shooting from the field and 41.7% from deep, with his season-high 20 points coming in the narrow loss to the Detroit Pistons.

It's been an up-and-down season for the 10-year veteran, but Lyles hitting his shots from beyond the arc opens up so much for the Kings offense. He not only provides a stretch-four option to play next to Domantas Sabonis, but can step in and play small-ball five as needed and allows the Kings to play five-out with the paint empty.

It has taken Lyles some time to get into form, and when asked about the recent improved play of his teammate, Monk gave a very honest answer.

Since he's been back, he's lost a lot of pounds. He was fat at the beginning of the year."

- Malik Monk

I set Malik Monk up for a good teammate moment when talking about Trey Lyles' recent great play.

Malik's response: "He was fat". 😂 pic.twitter.com/4GO094o7X6

— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) December 31, 2024

It's no wonder that Lyles has taken some time to get into game shape. He missed training camp with a groin injury, and right when he was getting into a rhythm during the season, he injured his calf and missed ten games.

The best way to get into basketball shape is simply by playing basketball. Lyles had an extremely short ramp-up period after he was cleared for full contact, and jumped straight into games when he returned, so not much basketball was able to played outside of games.

Lyles being healthy and in shape is great new for the Kings, who will need him to keep up his recent improved play if they hope to climb back up the Western Conference standings.

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