Los Angeles Lakers: Grading their moves during NBA free agency

Los Angeles Lakers NBA free agency move No. 4: Malik Monk

Most of us remember what we were doing the night that Malik Monk exploded in college. In one game he went from good prospect to a guaranteed lottery pick. It was the Charlotte Hornets who took the chance on Monk in the 2017 NBA draft.

Unfortunately for the Hornets, Monk was not the offensive juggernaut that they wanted. In his four seasons with the Hornets, Monk averaged 9.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 17.8 minutes per game. He came off the bench for all but one of his 233 games.

One of the big knocks on Monk was how much he struggled from deep. In his first three seasons, Monk did not shoot the long ball at over 34.2 percent, and that was in his rookie year. In the final year of his deal, Monk shot the 3-ball at 40.1 percent. Part of this can be attributed to the Hornets have better players in their lineup such as Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball.

This bodes well for the Lakers given they have three of the best players of the past five years on the team. Monk will face less pressure playing alongside James, Davis, and Westbrook. This could end up being a breakout year for Monk.

Grade: B-