Lakers: LeBron James was Surprised Malik Monk was Available This Summer

Monk has made an impact since becoming a starter in late December.

A three-game winning streak in the NBA typically isn’t much to get excited about. Except, when you’re a team like the Lakers fighting for relevancy. A big part of the Lakers recent success has been the performance of shooting guard Malik Monk.

Lakers star LeBron James isn’t surprised. James has been excited about playing with Monk well before Monk ever donned a Lakers jersey.

James explained in Tuesday’s postgame press conference after Monk’s 11 fourth-quarter points helped the Lakers down the Kings 122-114.

“We wanted him last year when Charlotte stopped playing him last year.”

In Lebron’s opinion, Charlotte completely misused the guard they drafted 11th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.

“They’d play him, sit him for five or six games. Then they would play him and then you would see him have a game in Miami where he had like eight or nine threes. Then they would sit him and not play him.”

As LeBron tells it, he wasn’t the only one in El Segundo who wanted Monk on the Lakers last year.

“Me and J-Kidd were talking all the time - ‘is there a way we can snatch this guy from their roster?’. Through patience and through timing, we were able to get him this summer. Which is still doesn’t make sense to me.”

Los Angeles is 4-1 in their last five contests. Monk has started all five of those games after only starting in two games previously.

During this streak of starts, Monk is averaging an insanely efficient 20.8 points per game. He’s shooting 55.6% from the field, 45.9% from three, and 89.5% from the free throw line.

Some may be surprised that Monk is playing so well for the Lakers.

Not LeBron. He envisioned Monk draining shots in the purple and gold before it even happened.