"Is there a way we can snatch this guy?" - LeBron James on LA Lakers' interest in Malik Monk last season
LA Lakers superstar LeBron James has made a interesting disclosure. After the Purple and Gold's 122-114 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, James revealed he and the franchise wanted shooting guard Malik Monk to play for them last season.
Monk signed for the Lakers earlier this offseason after spending four years with the Charlotte Hornets, who drafted him in 2017 with the #11 overall pick. On Tuesday, he finished with 24 points, going 6-of-11 from downtown, and put in another strong showing for the LA Lakers in the team's third straight win since losing to the Memphis Grizzlies on December 29. He is averaging 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in just over 25 mpg this season.
LeBron says that he and Jason Kidd would talk last year about Malik Monk a lot.
"Is there a way we can snatch this guy from their roster?" LeBron would wonder.
This summer, the Lakers made it happen.
LeBron James, who has consistently put in a good word for Monk on the back of his string of good performances, told the media in the post-game interaction:
"It's funny, just a little quick backstory, me and J [Jason] Kidd, we talked a lot last year. We wanted him last year. When Charlotte stopped playing him last year, or they would play him, and then sit him for five or six games, and then they would play him, and then you would see him have a game at Miami where he had like eight or nine threes in Miami, and then they would sit him and not play him. Me and J Kidd, we would talk all the time, like, 'Is there a way we can snatch this guy from their roster?'"
Here is LeBron's full quote on Malik Monk, and how long he's wanted him on the Lakers. https://t.co/RU1KFdyd8Z
LeBron James powers LA Lakers to third straight win
The 37-year-old LeBron James partnered with Malik Monk to give the Lakers their second straight victory of the new year. LeBron had 31 points, five rebounds and five assists as the Lakers improved to a 20-19 regular season record. One of the biggest factors in the Lakers' victory was that they kept their turnovers down to a season-low five
Commenting on this aspect of their victory, LeBron said:
"That's the reason we won the game. We won the game because we did not turn the ball over tonight. When we get shots at the goal, we can be very dangerous... Especially against a team like SAC with one of the fastest, if not the fastest guard in the league in De'Aaron Fox, you turn the ball over, it results in fastbreak points at the other end. That was great to hold them to six. We held them to six fast break points because we didn't turn the ball over."
"We won the game because we did not turn the ball over tonight." @KingJames reflects on the keys to tonight's hard-fought #LakeShow win that included big contributions from Dwight, THT, and Malik Monk. @LakersReporter https://t.co/3PeLyQXD5P
LeBron and the LA Lakers play their next two games at home against Atlanta on January 7 and against Memphis on January 9.