Against the Portland Trail Blazers, who are in very low form this season and are about to start rebuilding, the Los Angeles Lakers who play at home finally did not drop the chain again, and they won 139-106 to stop the decline. LeBron James, who had just celebrated his 37th birthday, slashed 43 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Of course, basketball is a team sport, and the Lakers have successfully won a big victory, relying not only on the strength of LeBron James alone, but also on the help of teammates around him. Among them, outside scorer Malik Munch is in a brave state, he shot 6 of 11, cut 18 points and 4 rebounds, +28 plus-minus is second only to Russell Westbrook, the second highest of all players in the two teams. It was Malik Munch's third consecutive game as a starting player for the Lakers, and he was active in the first two games, shooting 6-of-9 against the Grizzlies and scoring 15 points and three rebounds. In the game to beat the Rockets, Malik Munch scored 25 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, shooting more than 50% from the field. In the last three games, Munch has scored 58 points combined, becoming a reliable deputy of LeBron James and Russell Westbrook on the offensive end.
Before entering the league, Malik Munch was also a proud man of heaven, as a two-powered guard, he was from the University of Kentucky Wildcats, and now the King's core point guard Daron Fox formed a backcourt double gun. Munch's style of play is quite vigorous, with a single 47-point performance in college, and under the leadership of Fox and Munch, Kentucky has also achieved good results, and even eliminated UCLA University led by "Ball Brother" Lonzo Ball in the mad three tournament head-on showdown.
In the 2017 draft, there were many young talents, and Munch was finally selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 11th pick in the first round. However, during the rookie contract period, Munch has not been reused, he can only be regarded as a substitute for the Hornets, although in the past two seasons, Munch has made some progress, averaging double-digit points per game, but it is still far from what people expected before the draft. Speaking of Munch's style of play and play, it is very similar to the Jazz core Donovan Mitchell, and Munch's draft pick is higher than the latter, and the achievements achieved in the early NBA career are so different that it is really regrettable.
So after the rookie contract expired, the Hornets did not make an offer for Munch, which was the default to make him a full free agent. Objectively speaking, although it is far from an All-Star level player, Munch still has a chance to fight for a middle-class contract in the market, and as a result, last summer, he signed a basic salary contract with the Lakers, which was also unexpected by everyone. It is true that there are many players in the offseason, all of whom joined the Lakers with a basic salary, but they are basically veterans who have entered the twilight of their careers, like Anthony is obviously still facing James and choosing to join the Purple and Gold Army. Munch is only 23 years old now, still in the ascendancy of professional players, which is obviously a relatively rare example.
After joining the Lakers, Malik Munch performed quite well, he and Carmelo Anthony can be called the two thighs on the Lakers bench, and in the big three, when some people are absent or strictly guarded, they all point to the two of them can stand up. Munch has averaged 10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists so far this season, shooting 46.9% from the field and 36.9% from three-point range. Some time ago, Malik Munch was absent because of the trigger health and safety agreement, which obviously also caused a great impact on the Lakers, and Munch in the first game after his comeback, he shot 8 of 13 shots, including 3 three-pointers, cut 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, although the Lakers fought hard in that game, the home defeat to the Brooklyn Nets at the top of the Eastern Conference, but it also firmed up the coaching team's decision to let Munch change to the first start.
So we found out that in all three games, Malik Munch was on top of the starting line. Probably Lakers head coach Frank Vogel also want to understand, as far as the Lakers' current lineup, even if you fight for defense, the effect will probably not be too good, in the end it will consume the physical strength of veterans, it is better to let go of the offense. So the Lakers' current thinking is to let LeBron James and Russell Westbrook form a hold, with sharpshooters like Malik Munch and Wien Ellington around them, and once the opponent shrinks the defense or even packs, the opportunity for the outside line will naturally come out. On the other hand, Malik Munch is different from ordinary shooters, he can also create shooting opportunities, in this case, the pressure on the core players will be reduced, and the opponent will also need to free up a part of the defensive resources to Munch, maybe this change will revitalize the Lakers.