Los Angeles Lakers: 3 roster battles to watch during the preseason

2. Wayne Ellington vs. Malik Monk

Wayne Ellington and Malik Monk both appeared in our stud and dud article from the first preseason game and through one game of action Monk seems to have the advantage. This is a tale of the young three-point shooter vs. the experienced three-point shooter with the preseason being important to who sees more minutes early on.

I was surprised to see Kent Bazemore start the first preseason game over both Ellington and Monk. Before the preseason, I would have guessed that Ellington had the fast track to start and maybe he still does when LeBron James and Russell Westbrook actually play.

Or maybe he doesn’t if Monk continues to thrive in the preseason and plays himself into a bigger role. Personally, even if Monk is great I still think Ellington has a better chance to start but we very well could see Monk get more minutes off the bench and play in more key moments.

Both of these guys are very similar as they offer three-point marksmanship to the Lakers roster while also not being traditional three and D players. Both Ellington and Monk are below average defensively so you can’t play them together on the court, particularly in big moments.

Monk has the leg up but Ellington is more proven throughout his career and that could swing the battle his way early on. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the preseason plays out for these two.