Keon Ellis’ numbers don’t jump off the page. For the season he’s averaging just 3.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.4 blocks in only 11.8 minutes a game. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that when Ellis gets time, he will make an impact.
In last night’s two point victory against the San Antonio Spurs, Ellis came in and played 17 minutes, scoring 11 points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 steals. He was also a team-high +15. The night before against the Lakers he was a +17 in nearly 14 minutes.
Ellis’ ability to come in and make an impact, particularly defensively, hasn’t gone unnoticed by both the fanbase and his teammates.
“When Keon steps on the court good things happen,” De’Aaron Fox said. “He’s a defensive playmaker, he makes things happen on the defensive end. He’s a much better shooter than people give him credit for. We have the confidence in him to shoot the ball.”
Sabonis added, “He’s been amazing. He’s poised. He comes out and just plays the right way. Doesn’t force anything. He’s great on the defensive side of the ball.”
Defense is one of this team’s biggest Achilles heels, so it becomes particularly noticeable when a player like Ellis comes in and makes plays on that end. At nearly 6’5 but with a 6’8.5″ wingspan, Ellis has length and quickness to cover multiple players and make timely switches and closeouts. Last night against the Spurs, Devin Vassell scored 30 points; none of those came with Ellis guarding him. In fact, the only player who did manage to score on Ellis last night was Jeremy Sochan, who went 1-4 despite having a couple inches of height and 30 pounds on Ellis.
Offensively, Ellis doesn’t bring a ton of firepower to the table, but he’s also not going to kill you on that end. For the season he’s shooting 37.8% from three on 2.2 attempts a game, and he’s also a willing passer. He doesn’t force much offensively, either taking open catch and shoot jumpers or moving the ball. But the Kings don’t need Ellis to be an offensive dynamo; They have plenty of weapons on that end. What they don’t have are many playmakers on the other side of the ball and this is where Ellis can carve out a niche for himself.
Ellis’ playing time has been sporadic this season, dating to his time as a two-way player before the Kings signed him to a three-year contract back in February. He’s gone from starting games to DNP-CD for weeks at a time. Part of that’s just the logjam the Kings have at guard: De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter are heavy rotation players, and then there’s Davion Mitchell (who has also been playing well of late) and the occasional minutes from Chris Duarte too.
But it’s becoming clear that Ellis should have a more consistent role and spot in the rotation for what he’s able to provide on the defensive end of the ball. Coach Brown has been using more three guard lineups of late to get Ellis in there these last couple games and it’s worked well:
Sacramento have rolled out a lot of three guard lineups these last two games:
Mitchell/Monk/Ellis (15 mins): 123.5 ORTG — 97.0 DTRG
Fox/Monk/Ellis (60 mins): 115.5 ORTG — 109.4 DRTG
Fox/Monk/Mitchell (47 mins): 109.5 ORTG — 125.0 DRTG— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) March 8, 2024
After last night’s game, Coach Brown praised Ellis and the rest of the bench and said the following: “I’m going to try and keep putting guys and this team in a position to win, and if you earn a right to play, I am going to throw you out there.”
It’s just one man’s humble opinion but to me, Keon Ellis has more than earned the right to play.
