Malik Monk recorded his best game of the season on Wednesday, scoring 27 points to fire the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over the Miami Heat.
Monk rarely missed throughout the night, making several difficult shots along the way. The 23-year-old guard shot 10-for-13 from the field and 4-for-7 from behind the 3-point line. He was also +12 in the game, making an impact that goes beyond just scoring.
Davis has praised the unlikely hero of the night, saying he is confident that his fellow Kentucky alum will continue playing a major role for L.A. this season.
“I’ve known Malik, he went to Kentucky so I’ve always known about him when he came in the league and then watched him a lot in Charlotte,” the Lakers All-Star said.
“I try to keep up with all the Kentucky guys, it’s like our own little brotherhood inside this big brotherhood. We’ve said it, Bron’s said it before, I’ve said it in his postgame interview, we call him ‘Microwave.’ An instant scorer and we still don’t know how we got him for what we got him for. He can play, he’s a hell of a player.
“Shot a lot of big shots, made a lot of big shots and this is going to continue to build his confidence in what we do.”
Monk gave his Lakers teammates credit for the support he has received this season, which he says has boosted his confidence.
“They always give me compliments whether I’m playing five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30-minutes they always give me compliments so I’m always confident going into the game,” Monk said.
“I was kind of having the same mindset because you never know what is going to happen throughout this game, so I stay locked in. Trying to be prepared for every situation.”
Monk: I’ve never played with this many great players
Monk said he sometimes gets starstruck when he realizes how many NBA greats the Lakers have on their roster. However, the guard reiterated that L.A.’s stars make him feel “super comfortable” at Staples Center.
“I’m always comfortable playing basketball but it’s kind of hard; I never played with this many greats so you got to pick your spots and figure out when the game is going to come to you,” Monk said.
“Like I said, they’re great so they are always going to help me in every situation so I’m super comfortable.”
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