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Lakers report card: Malik Monk

Lakers guard Malik Monk drives past a Kings defender.
Lakers guard Malik Monk drives past a Kings defender during a game this season.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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Over the next week The Times will conduct exit evaluations of the Lakers’ roster, player by player. Today’s group includes a look at guard Malik Monk’s key stats, contract status, preseason expectations, current reality and what the future holds.

Key stats: Started in 25 of the 46 games he played for the Lakers.

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.

The expectation on Oct. 19: Monk needed to play well to earn a spot in the Lakers’ crowded backcourt rotation.

The reality on April 10: Monk was a revelation, a high-scoring guard who was one of the Lakers’ most consistent offensive players all season.

The future: The Lakers’ attempts to re-sign Monk will be hampered without his Bird rights (a mechanism by which a team can exceed the salary cap to keep a player), but they’ll try to find the money to make it work.

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