In what is shaping up to be a difficult 2021-22 season, the Los Angeles Lakers will playing their fourth game of the year on October 26, 2021, in San Antonio. While waiting for the game to start, Austin Reaves had a revelation that no one but his new friend Malik Monk could have possible comprehended.“You know, this stuff is pretty wild,” he remarks. “I never would have guessed.””Me,” responded Monk.”No, it’s not me,” rejoins Reaves. Everyone expected you to be here, so it’s probably not insane for you. Personally, I can’t get past the fact that the Lakers have two young players hailing from rural Arkansas. Hopefully, this won’t happen again.They make a strange couple, at least at first glance.Reaves, the Lakers’ fourteenth roster berth and two-way contract overachiever, inked a two-year professional deal before training camp began.Even though the rest of the league seems to have given up on him, Monk—once a cornerstone of the franchise—is now attempting to make a comeback. Without a contract offer from any team other than the Lakers in the offseason, Monk was forced to take a one-year minimum deal with the Dallas Mavericks. This arrangement was less lucrative than any year of his rookie contract.Reaves was raised on a faraway cow ranch. One of the poorer locations in Monk’s home state was where he was brought up by a single father. Before moving to Oklahoma, Reaves played for a mid-major (Wichita State) throughout his NCAA career. He wasn’t a star recruit. After a fierce recruiting fight, Kentucky was able to get five-star, blue-chip talent Monk. Even though he was undrafted, Reaves was able to get a two-way contract and play in the NBA. Former lottery pick Monk was named the future shooting guard for the Charlotte Hornets.The one thing the two shared in common, although being in an environment completely different from their impoverished beginnings, made all the other differences seem insignificant. These two young men, now 24 years old and stars for an NBA team, are native Arkansans.In particular, in two small towns—Monk in Lepanto and Reaves in Newark—that are less than 1,900 inhabitants each and are located 77 miles apart. There are a handful of Arkansas natives playing in the NBA right now (ten as of the 2022 NBA Draft), and many of them are angry because they think media and scouts don’t pay enough attention to players from their state.As they delved deeper into their special bond, they discovered that they are similar in many ways: they are both homebodies who love hunting and golf, gym rats who can’t get enough hoops, and introverts who like to stay at home. While leaning over Monk on the bench, Reaves was thinking about all of this.Marcus Monk, who is both Malik’s agent and brother, compared it to “winning the lottery” when asked about the likelihood of the two players from Arkansas being on the same NBA team.On March 9, 2013, the East Poinsett County Warriors, led by freshman sensation Malik Monk, faced off against the Cedar Ridge Timberwolves in the Arkansas 2A championship game. Opposite: Austin Reaves, a 5-foot-9, 120-pound guard who is known for his pass-first style of play.From Little Rock’s Barton Coliseum, where 6,000 spectators watch, Monk scores 25 points, the last of which gives his side a two-point lead with 19 seconds left. Conversely, Reaves only managed to score three points due to an off shooting night. The elder Reaves had the last laugh, though, as his Cedar Ridge team won their first state championship with a 58-56 victory, thanks in large part to Spencer Reaves’s 35 points.“I always despised him and his brother,” Monk remarked with a laugh. From that point on, I despised him.When they were younger, Monk and Reaves ran into each other multiple times. When they were both rising through the ranks of Arkansas’s AAU and high school scenes, they would periodically ask, “What up?”They were both members of the Arkansas Wings AAU program, but they were never teammates. Back then, Reaves could only make the select team.They would, however, not run into one another for a good while. The possibility of a rivalry between Monk and Reaves was eliminated when Monk moved to Bentonville High School during his sophomore year, putting him in a separate division.Monk, in contrast to Reaves, was a high school phenom who went on to star in the Nike EYBL circuit, become a Kentucky Wildcat, and earn an invitation to the Green Room before declaring for the NBA Draft following just one season. At 6-foot-5, Reaves started to make his mark after playing second fiddle to his brother. Prior to his 2016 commitment to Wichita State, he was a lackluster prospect who had never been invited to play on one of Monk’s EYBL teams.Let us go ahead and picture July 2021. With his high IQ, team-first attitude, gritty defense, and diversified offensive skill set, the Lakers’ renowned scouting department saw Reaves—a fifth-year senior who transferred to Oklahoma in 2018—as a two-way contract prospect.Since his career with the Hornets came to a standstill, Monk has been a free agent, and they have always had an interest in him. Attempts to acquire the explosive scorer and playmaker were made by the Lakers at the 2020 and 2021 trade deadlines. Following presentations by Rob Pelinka, head coach Frank Vogel, LeBron James, and the Lakers’ VP of basketball operations and general manager, Monk agreed to a one-year minimum deal.The reunion brought together the two Arkansans, whose paths had intersected briefly about a decade ago before their careers took separate turns. They were clearly each other’s perfect complement.After the NBA Summer League ended in late August 2021 and before training camp began in October, they initially crossed paths during an offseason workout at the UCLA Health Training Center with a few teammates.By chance, Monk and Reaves ended up standing side by side during a brief pause in the action. Their shared history, the fact that they hadn’t laid eyes on one other for years, and the bizarre nature of playing together were all topics of conversation.”We conversed for some time,” Reaves stated. “And it has continued to grow ever since.”After that, they discovered they have a lot more in common than only a love of basketball, a common home state, and Southern accents. Their profound connection was only starting to take shape.They found out that basketball was in their family trees from the start.Both of Reaves’ parents were basketball players at Arkansas State. Spencer, one of Reaves’ brothers, played for four years at North Greenville and Central Missouri, two Division II schools, before playing professionally with Bayer Giants Leverkusen of Germany.Marcus, Malik’s brother and a football and basketball star at Arkansas, was drafted by the NFL and spent two years playing professional ball in Germany. Rashad Madden, Malik’s cousin, also played basketball at Arkansas and was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2015 summer league team.What they dubbed “Arkansas stuff” turned out to be something they both enjoy. The two had been trying to find time in their busy schedules to go to a shooting range. On the 300-acre family farm, Reaves and Spencer would go canoeing.They have also talked about returning to Arkansas to go deer hunting and fishing, either deep sea or in ponds. The two might take advantage of the many ponds on Reaves’ family farm (Monk’s hunting interests caught Reaves off guard).”His town is practically identical to my hometown,” Monk remarked. “Super tiny and, well, super country.”They discovered that their unique personalities worked well together as well. Neither of them enjoys being the center of attention, and they’d rather spend their time alone playing video games or relaxing with loved ones than hitting the town. They discovered a shared quality of unwavering self-assurance.Monk has learnt to overcome his shyness during his time in the NBA, despite the fact that he is an introvert despite his outgoing personality. Even more introverted Reaves was able to adjust to NBA dynamics and feel more comfortable entering his sophomore season because to his experiences.He joked, saying, “It’s not hard to be more social than Austin.” According to Spencer Reaves.For that reason, it came as a shock to the older Reaves when he found out that his younger brother had joined teammates Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Kendrick Nunn in a Bel Air Estates private property in early February for Monk’s birthday party, which had a Louis XIII theme.”That speaks volumes,” Spencer Reaves remarked. Austin isn’t like that with most people, so they must be quite close. He has a small, close-knit circle.

At the same time, Monk felt more at ease in his new environment thanks to Reaves’s understated manner.After their late-night workouts, they would often go out to supper and bowl together. They recently went bowling with some friends they knew. Monk maintains his superior bowling skills, despite Reaves’ victory.”He just edged me out by a couple of points,” Monk explained. “That is not going to be discussed.”Forget what he says, Reaves warned. When we’re talking about us, you can accept his word for roughly half of it. The only thing he’ll do if you ask him whether he’s better than me is say yes. It’s not true. That night, he took a knockdown.A dynamic that started as just a shared characteristic transformed into what they both characterize as their strongest team bond during the subsequent nine months, as they weathered the team’s numerous challenges and celebrated each other’s successes.”Respect was the initial motivation,” stated Marcus Monk. From a basketball perspective, they simply respected one another. However, now they’re truly connected, and they’re developing a sense of brotherhood and camaraderie as the season progresses, thanks to all the things they share.At a time when their careers were in dire need of a boost, their bond propelled them to unprecedented levels of success on the court. They were two bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season for the Lakers, adding much-needed energy to games and, more often than not, playing well off of superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. With a plus-minus of 54 for Reaves and a plus-minus of 53 for Monk, they even finished 1-2 on the squad in overall plus-minus.They embodied what was essentially the only positive aspect of the 33-49 season for the Lakers: the youthful energy displayed by the team’s players in contrast to the more senior members of the squad. After things started to go wrong during his time at Charlotte, Monk had to slog his way into the league, just like Reeves had to.So they share a quality that the Lakers’ scouting department uses to great advantage when recruiting less-heralded free agents and non-lottery picks.

Every Monday through Thursday at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo, Monk and Reaves have been working out alongside other ignored Lakers like Horton-Tucker, Stanley Johnson, Wenyen Gabriel, and Mason Jones in the weeks following the season’s unceremonious finale. (Coaches have noticed that Nunn, who was out for the entire 2018 season with a bone bruise in his right knee, has been to the gym more times than anybody else.)Neither Reaves nor Gabriel nor Jones were drafted. Horton-Tucker was selected in the second round in the end. The initial teams that picked Monk and Johnson in the lottery eventually passed on them. Their intense focus during team practices is a reflection of their shared displeasure with the Lakers’ 33–49 record this season, even if they all had moments of brilliance last year.According to Reaves, the team’s season was “sucky,” to put it mildly. We felt like we were falling short of our lofty goals since we couldn’t put it all together all year.”I believe we fell short of what the Lakers had hoped for, as well as what the fans anticipated,” Monk remarked. It was we who disappointed them.The awful season that the team had last year is one both Monk and Reaves would like to avoid. That is, if they are both in attendance at next season’s Los Angeles event.On April 10, 2022, the Lakers defeated the Nuggets in overtime by a score of 146–141. James, Davis, and Russell Westbrook were not in the starting lineup, and the Lakers’ play-in dreams were shattered. Before a lengthy summer that may see a reshuffling of the supporting cast, it was the ideal platform for Monk and Reaves to close the season well and demonstrate their importance to the franchise.”We were simply entering the game and conveying to them, ‘This game right here can just boost us into next year,’” Monk explained. “Our goal was to prove to them that we can contribute to the team’s success on the field, and they can see it.”More than that, they accomplished it. Both players reached new heights in terms of scoring. Monk scored 41 points and Reaves added 31 to become the first rookie in Lakers history to score 30 points, grab 16 rebounds, and dish out 10 assists. Reaves was also the fifth rookie in Lakers history to record a triple-double.Afterwards, when they sat side by side at the postgame press conference, their friendship shone through, particularly when a reporter inquired as to whether or not Reaves’ record-setting performance explains why his team lost to Monk’s in the 2013 Arkansas state championship game.”Hell no,” Monk responded. “No way. He isn’t doing anything.”I didn’t,” Reaves said with a dry quip, smiling and giving Monk a light smack on the arm.”He did nothing,” Monk went on to say. “He was completely inactive during that game.”Reaves remarked, “He’s telling the truth,” as the two players laughed and smiled and leaned away from the microphone.Accusations of former head coach Frank Vogel’s dismissal began to circulate on Twitter as they reveled in the season-long connection that had propelled them both to unprecedented heights. Monk and Reaves were bombarded with questions over their head coach’s firing rather than their career nights.A disappointing episode in an otherwise disappointing season. However, it was yet another chance for the two to rely on one another, just like they had done throughout their individual season low points.”Being with my boy is just great,” Monk remarked. When you’re with someone you know from back home, it’s wonderful. It is always a cozy fit. I believe that is the reason for our intense intimacy.”He gave me some advice that got me through DNPs—to keep my head down, work hard, and do the little things that will get me on the court,” Reaves said. “I am very indebted to him for that.”New difficulties have emerged for them. Monk is a potential unrestricted free agent who must decide his future in the league, while Reaves must improve and become an integral part of the Lakers’ eager to recover and compete again Lakers roster for next season. He has longed for stability in his position and ease within the team environment for quite some time. Even though he had a good season with the Lakers, he is only eligible for the taxpayer mid-level exception (worth around $6.4 million per year) due to his minimum deal, and Monk is likely to get a higher salary elsewhere.Every time Reaves and Monk have discussed their alternatives, Reaves has told him to stay.Please, I tell him every time I see him. Reaves beckoned the person back. I wish him the best in whatever he decides to pursue.Due to their same ancestry and long history, Monk and Reaves have never been truly apart. At long last, the Lakers’ paths crossed, and a close bond was formed.No matter what happens this offseason—Monk staying in Los Angeles to assist Reaves try to turn the Lakers around or signing elsewhere—their friendship will endure.”We’ll remain inseparable, my friend,” Monk declared. “Our shared ancestry is the reason behind it. To put it bluntly, we are completely in sync with one another. Locating someone with such qualities is challenging.