3 goals for Lakers’ Malik Monk for the 2021-22 season
Most of the signings by the Los Angeles Lakers involved veterans past their prime, but Malik Monk was an exception.
After spending the last four seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, Monk entered free agency because he was the odd guard out on the roster.
This past season, he averaged career highs in points per game (11.7) and 3-point percentage (40.1%), which makes him an intriguing prospect for the Lakers to develop.
He’s still just 23 years old and is one of the youngest players on the roster alongside the 20-year-old Talen Horton-Tucker.
Monk signed a one-year deal for the minimum, which caught many off guard, but if he can continue to increase his efficiency alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, he’ll turn out to be good value.
Here are three goals for Monk to strive for this season:
Prove the 3-point shot is real
Monk took a major leap with his shooting efficiency in his fourth season, shooting 40.1% from deep on 5.0 attempts a game. That's certainly an intriguing number to build on, but it doesn't correlate with his past production. In order from the first season to now, he's shot from deep 34.2%, 33%, 28.4% and 40.1%. The volume goes from 3.9, 4.5, 3.7 to 5.0. Either last season was an outlier or Monk legit found what works for him. Considering the Lakers' shooting struggles last season, the team hopes it's the latter. Monk will have to show he can do it off the bounce and in spot-up scenarios if he's playing alongside members of the new star trio.
Improve at the rim
Though Monk displayed great shooting attributes from beyond the arc last season, he still has a way to go to improve inside the arc, specifically finishing at the rim. He is a lanky guard, and lack of muscle can make it tougher for players to finish through contact, especially against bigger opponents, so Monk needs to enhance those numbers. Last season, he made 70 out of 134 shots down low, a rate of 52.2%. However, that's six percentage points below league average. If Monk wants to expand his game, he can't just be a one-dimensional deep threat. He'll have to be more aggressive, which also means drawing more free throws. He's never averaged more than 2.0 free-throw attempts a game over the duration of a season.
Refine the defensive game
Poor defensive qualities are a prevalent theme among the guards on the roster, a different atmosphere compared to the Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope days. Most of the guards brought in by L.A. specialize on the offensive end, like Monk, but how they'll fare defensively is ambiguous. Monk isn't a reputed defender, but to earn more minutes and trust in the rotation, improving there will be key. The positive aspect for Monk is he'll be working with Frank Vogel, one of the best defensive minds out there. If Monk can improve at the point of attack, keep opponents in front of him, be crisp with rotations, stay active and aware off the ball and more, he can make noise for a better payday next year.
1
1
