The most exciting counterattack in the NBA! 4 years, from abandoning the player to the sixth player, and then to one of the core

He is not a superstar, and he rarely has famous scenes that can be remembered, but his story is one of the most exciting counterattacks in the NBA.

From an abandoned general without a ball, to the best substitute candidate, and now one of the core players, in 4 years, he completed the transformation and achieved a step-by-step leap, becoming a second-tier star in the league in one fell swoop, and writing his name into the top 70 of the top 100 active stars. This legendary player is Malik Monk.

Monk's NBA career began as a farce. As a scorer produced by the University of Kentucky, he has solid basic skills and a rich arsenal of weapons. He averaged 19.8 points per game and had a shooting percentage close to 50%, won the Jerry West Award, and was recognized as the leading scorer in the 17th session. After the joint trial, Monk and the Knicks became very close. "Zen Master" even invited him to dinner. They talked about the triangle offense and jointly described Monk's future with the Knicks.

"Me, my agent, everyone in my agency, and my family all thought I would go to New York and thought it was the best place for me."

However, as the draft day approached, the "Zen Master" who had always been in contact with Monk was suddenly fired by the Knicks. In the end, the new team used With the No. 8 pick, the French genius Ntilikina was taken away, while Monk was taken away by the Hornets with the 11th pick. Monk became the biggest joke that night. Before that, he had touted more than once how good the "triangle offense" was and how suitable it was for him. His relatives and friends had even purchased Knicks tickets.

You may say, "Gold shines wherever it is." But for team sports, if you are in a system that is not suitable for you, even if you are talented, you will not be able to break through the ceiling. For example, Harden, if he stays with the Thunder, he will be an All-Star at best, and Thomas, only in the Celtics can he be an MVP-level scorer.

We don’t know how Monk went to the Knicks and what achievements he will achieve, but we know that the Hornets are indeed not suitable for him.

The Hornets have had a weak record for many years, and they have many high-ranking rookies, but none of them have been successful, so they don’t have much hope for Monk, and they have no patience to train him. In 4 years, Monk only got one starting opportunity, and he didn’t The tactical arrangement was basically a chaotic battle, and the efficiency was naturally not much higher. There were no bright spots in personal data, and there was no bonus to the team's record. In addition, there was a "doping scandal" during the contract year. Monk was quickly labeled as "inefficient", "brush", "thorn in the head" and other labels.

In the summer of 2021, Monk, who ended his rookie contract, not only did not get a contract extension, but also received no feedback from the free agent market. Just when he thought his NBA career was about to end, LeBron James called his phone and asked, "Do you want to come to Los Angeles?"

In In the training camp jointly organized by James and Davis, Monk's performance was quite amazing, attracting the attention of the Lakers leader. In the end, with his help, Monk received a one-year base salary of US$1.79 million from the Lakers. Although this was more than half of his salary in his last year as a rookie, at least he got a chance to stay in the NBA.

"That is not a contract for me, but a life-saving rope."

Compared with the Hornets, the Lakers, who aim to compete for the championship, have a complete offensive and defensive system and a fixed tactical design. In this environment, Monk plays easily and contentedly, especially for his shooting style. A good scorer, throughout the season, Monk averaged 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 47.3% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range. What is more exciting than the growth in personal data is that he has finally become one of the puzzle pieces for the team to win.

Data shows that when Monk is on the court, the Lakers can beat their opponents by 3.7 points per 100 possessions, and vice versa. This is the first time Monk has been associated with winning, and the outside world has a new impression of him.

A two-year, $19 million contract was handed to Monk. Not only was his NBA career saved, he also seemed to have signs of rising.

Although the Kings are unfamiliar to Monk, he is extremely familiar with the people here. De'Aaron Fox was his teammate in Kentucky, and at this moment, this close friend is even more the core of the Kings. Monk's confidence is gradually restored, and his talent is inadvertently realized. He has become the leading scorer in the Kings' second team and one of the strongest substitute candidates in the league. Whenever the team is struggling, Monk can step forward and use unreasonable shots to save the Kings from danger time and time again.

Especially in the playoffs, Monk scored 32 points and 28 points in G1 and G6 respectively, helping the Kings get the key 2 points. Throughout the series, he averaged 19 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. His potential as a Super Six player was undoubtedly evident.

However, Monk has never been satisfied with this. Starting from the 23-24 season, he has intentionally transformed into a point guard and began to try to use his offensive threats to create opportunities for teammates. While stabilizing his output, he averaged 5.1 assists per game, setting a new career record. In the ESPN Top 100 Stars list, Monk ranked 65th, ahead of Green, Klay Thompson, Beal and other famous players. He also felt valued for the first time.

Last season was Monk's real breakthrough year. He averaged 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. All three statistics were career highs. Especially after Fox was traded to the Spurs, Monk excellently assumed the responsibility of starting the Kings' tactics. He passed the ball 2,849 times, second only to Sabonis. Even when facing strong defensive teams, he was able to complete cuts and provide assists, showing excellent organizational skills and overall perspective..

Now Monk has left the role of the sixth man and has truly become a dual-sports guard and one of the team's offensive engines. His value to the team is not only reflected in the basic data, but also in his actual impact on the game trend. When Monk is on the court, the Kings can beat the opponent by 2.4 points per 100 rounds; when he is not on the court, the team loses by 2.2 points.

This is Monk's counterattack. He seized the opportunity and completed the transformation from parallel goods to core, and the leap from small characters to stars.