Los Angeles Lakers: 1 stud and 1 dud from preseason loss to Nets

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 03: Malik Monk #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes up for a layup against Kessler Edwards #14 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of a pre-season game at Staples Center on October 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 03: Malik Monk #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes up for a layup against Kessler Edwards #14 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of a pre-season game at Staples Center on October 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers

Stud on the Los Angeles Lakers: Malik Monk

If you are a frequent reader of Lake Show Life then you have heard this plenty of times before: I am a huge fan of Malik Monk and signing him this offseason was one of the best value moves across the entire NBA.

Monk’s NBA career started slow but he really started to show signs of potential with the Charlotte Hornets last season. Monk is still only 23 years old and the potential for him to be a red-hot microwave scorer off the bench is there and we saw it on full display here in the preseason.

Monk was the Lakers’ top scorer in this game and was not afraid to take shots. Sometimes that can be to his detriment but if he continues to shoot the ball as efficiently as he did last year then he is going to have a really special year off the bench.

Monk went 6-12 from the field, 3-6 from beyond the arc, scoring 15 points with two rebounds and an assist. The other counting stats are not what really matters with Monk, it is how many points he can score and the Lakers may have a 15 point-per-game scorer off the bench on their hands.

We named Monk as one of the players we were most excited to watch in this game so we are not surprised that he had a great game in this one. It was the preseason, after all, but there is a lot of potential there for Monk to be a great rotation player.