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Malik Monk On His Past Free Agency Situation: “Nobody Really Wanted Me Besides The Lakers”
The Los Angeles Lakers entered the past 2021 NBA free agency looking for some shooting and an extra scoring boost to bolster the team’s offense. One way the Lakers addressed it was by signing former 11th overall pick Malik Monk.
Monk has panned out exactly how the Lakers thought he would. In 34 games this season, he has been a certified bucket-getter, carrying a stat-line of 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on 47.7% shooting from the field.
As Monk continues to outperform his current deal as a player on veteran minimum, it may surprise a lot of people that nobody apparently wanted to sign the 23-year old Lakers guard during his time as an unrestricted free agent. Monk revealed the story on The Athletic.
“It was crazy for me because … you never see that many lottery picks that get to be unrestricted,” Monk said. “And it kind of hit me hard when nobody really wanted me besides the Lakers, so I just put fuel in my tank and just held it in until I get time to play and prove I belong for long periods of time, and that’s what I’m doing right now.”
“Yeah, it was hard for me. Some days I didn’t know what to think. Some days I was like ‘God is going to do what’s best for both of us’ and it’s been happening,” Monk said. “I’ve been playing good, and I’m gonna continue to keep doing that.”
