The leaders of Charlotte and the Lakers had to bite their nails, to see Malik Monk catch fire in Game 1 of the series against Golden State (32 points) then in Game 6 on the floor of the Warriors (28 points).
The rear’s playoff campaign was a great success, like his first season in Sacramento where he and the Kings took a big step forward.
“It means everything to me, to come here and be part of changing the culture, being able to make the playoffs, playing with De’Aaron Fox…. »he explained in his end-of-season press conference. “No matter what happens, I will always have faith in myself. But the experience was great, because I had never experienced the playoffs before. And there, for my first year here, I had the opportunity to be in a winning team that was able to make the playoffs. To push the defending champion to a Game 7, it allowed me to gain more experience. I’m really looking forward to next season.”
A great leap forward
The player found the right fit under the orders of Mike Brown who perfectly knew how to make the most of the atypical profile of Malik Monk, a sniper capable of catching fire over short periods and able to be effective when coming off the bench. For the former Hornet, it’s a set of things that allowed him to deliver his most successful career exercise.
“I try to invest myself fully in each of my roles, because in the end, it’s the coach who decides, it’s not really my choice. So I try to get used to it and go for it, and I think I did very well this year. The band I played with this season just let me be myself. That’s one of the reasons I was able to perform,” he explained. “It’s the NBA that’s like that, finding the right place, at the right time, and having the right opportunity. And that’s clearly what happened here I think. It’s the most important thing in the NBA, you can have a substitute role in a team, and all you have to do is have a coach come in, let you play, be yourself, and then you’ll become a star in the team. So it’s all about opportunity.”
The Kings did not manage the feat of taking out the Warriors in the first round, but learned a lot and clearly emerged from this post-season. What Malik Monk learned from his first playoff experience? As often, the importance of details.
“We all have to get a little smarter about the game, every detail. I think I went under a screen once against Klay Thompson, and boom, it was Game 4 that went right under our noses. De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell also face Stephen Curry. It’s these little mental things that we can work on, but having lived through all of this will definitely make us stronger.
| Malik Monk | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 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 | ALL | 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 |
| Total | 386 | 21 | 43.0 | 35.6 | 84.9 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 10.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
