Malik Monk has become a key piece for the Los Angeles Lakers, which is something LeBron James has envisioned for quite some time.
James recently shared that he’s had his eye on Monk since last season when he fell out of the Hornets’ regular rotation and wanted to find a way to add him to the Lakers roster last season.
“It’s funny, just a little quick backstory, me and (former assistant coach Jason) Kidd, we talked a lot last year. We wanted him last year,” James told reporters on Tuesday, January 4. “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?’
“So through patience and good timing we were able to get him in the summertime this summer, which still doesn’t make sense to me, but we’re happy to have him. He’s a dynamic player and I always just think about that two-headed monster they had at Kentucky with both of those guys, him and De’Aaron (Fox). They literally were just electrifying, taking turns. So we’re happy to have him here.”
LeBron James Trolls Hornets With Tweet
Monk started as a sparkplug off the bench for the Lakers, providing timely scoring and energy. He’s averaging more than 25 minutes per game and is putting up 11.6 points on 47.7 percent shooting. Since joining the starting lineup he’s averaged more than 20 points per game, shooting nearly 46 percent from beyond the arc.
James trolled the Hornets on social media after his quote went viral, sharing a video from noted Twitter genius Josiah Johnson in which a man repeatedly yells at a cat locked in a store, “I’ll get you out of there. You don’t belong in there.” The linking up of James and Monk just proves that when “LeGM” wants something, he usually finds a way to get it.
The rumor mill is churning and the Lakers are heading into a crucial stretch of the season where there could be some roster upheaval. So expect James to push the Lakers to bring in a few more guys he’s had his eyes on as LA looks to bolster the roster for a title run.
Monk Playing With Chip on His Shoulder
You wouldn’t know by his play this season but Monk was not a highly sought-after free agent this offseason.
“It kind of hit me hard when nobody really wanted me besides the Lakers, man,” Monk told reporters this week. “It was hard for me. Some days, I didn’t know what to think.”
While Monk is playing with a chip on his shoulder, he still has a great sense of humor. He recently shared that the reason his right arm does not have any tattoos is that it’s “Strictly for buckets‚ 1,000 percent,” quoting former LA fan-favorite Nick Young.
“I never talked to [Young] about it, I was in high school just started to get tatted and I heard him say that and then I was like ‘awe yeah, it’s my turn now,” Monk said.
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LeBron James Takes Shot at Hornets Over Lakers Young Gun