Obvious candidate in the race for the best sixth man trophy, and even favorite, Malik Monk is simply having his best career season at 16 points and 5 assists on average.
Top scorer in the League coming off the bench, with 1,050 points, without the slightest competitor in the rearview mirror above 900 points, Malik Monk has also matured in recent years.
The years of wandering
Not at all interested in defense at the start of his career, the former Kentucky player evolved through contact with his coach, Mike Brown. The latter particularly making fun of the fact that he had only had one pass in 77 games last year. And again, after a lucky whistle after a collective fall involving the rear!
After a strong attack against Kevin Love recently, Malik Monk made his trainer smile.
“It couldn’t have happened last year”explains Mike Brown in The Athletic. ” No way ! I pushed him a lot to improve on this and he showed drastic progress in a short time. I've never seen this before, I'm really impressed! »
Arriving in the League at the tender age of 19, and in the doldrums of Charlotte, Malik Monk never really found his place, whether with Steve Clifford or James Borrego, who generally preferred veterans, including Kemba Walker and Tony Parker at the time.
“I didn’t have solid minutes. I had few minutes then 15 minutes per game. Then, nothing for twenty matches. The franchise was trying to prepare for the post-Kemba era. I was young and I didn't necessarily make good choices. I was training on my own because I wanted to work on certain things, which perhaps weren't the right ones. I probably would have been better off staying in the gym with the guys more often. »
The return to grace in the court of Kings
Worse, Malik Monk was afraid that his career would really go off the rails at the end of the 2021 season, after his suspension for violating anti-doping regulations: “At one point, I was toast! However, I shot 12 points at 40% from 3-point range. I thought I would have had some contact. But no one called me. It hurt me. »
“Saved” by Frank Vogel who gave him back an important role with the Lakers, with 28 minutes of playing time, a career record for nearly 14 points, Malik Monk then took advantage of “free agency” to join another California franchise, the Kings, for 19 million over two years. With his friend De'Aaron Fox in particular.
“The franchise wanted to have new faces, new momentum. And my friend, my best friend is here, Fox. It was the best situation for me. And leaving Los Angeles, a huge city, allows you to find a slower pace. I can concentrate on my work and it works quite well for me. »
Still haunted by her “damn lost ball” in the money time of Game 4 against Golden State, Malik Monk understood the demands of the playoffs last spring.
| Malik Monk | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | CHA | 63 | 14 | 36.0 | 34.2 | 84.2 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 6.7 |
| 2018-19 | CHA | 73 | 17 | 38.7 | 33.0 | 88.2 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 9.0 |
| 2019-20 | CHA | 55 | 21 | 43.4 | 28.4 | 82.0 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 10.3 |
| 2020-21 | CHA | 42 | 21 | 43.4 | 40.1 | 81.9 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 11.7 |
| 2021-22 | LAL | 76 | 28 | 47.3 | 39.1 | 79.5 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 13.8 |
| 2022-23 | BAG | 77 | 22 | 44.8 | 35.9 | 88.9 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 13.5 |
| 2023-24 | BAG | 66 | 27 | 45.0 | 36.6 | 82.1 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 15.9 |
| Total | 452 | 22 | 43.4 | 35.8 | 84.3 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 11.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
