The NBA is full of players whose inspiring life stories honor each individual’s work ethic and determination. Sacramento’s Keon Ellis tends to be included in this discussion.
Consider Caleb Martin, who nearly was a crucial member of the Miami Heat’s NBA Finals run last season after going undrafted in 2019. Or undrafted Alex Caruso, who carved out starting roles on their teams respective teams and was named to the All-Defense First Team last season.
Ellis began his college basketball journey at Florida SouthWest State Junior College, where he became their leading scorer (18.1 points per game on 53.6/40.1/80.7 shooting his sophomore year) before transferring in Alabama.
Surprisingly, It was only after his transfer that Ellis adopted the defensive side of the ball to earn playing time on a talented Alabama roster. Despite not hearing his name called during the 2022 NBA Draft, Sacramento was the first to call Ellis and his agent after the draft concluded, leading to a two-way deal.
Most of his rookie season was spent with Stockton in the G-League, where he played in 35 games under former head coach Bobby Jackson. Meanwhile, Ellis worked with the staff to improve his ball handling and distribution, intrigued by the idea of him playing point guard sparingly down the line.
His collegiate effectiveness remained during his tenure in Stockton. He converted 41.8 percent of his 4.4 three-point attempts per night while averaging 16.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
In 2023-24, his second NBA season, Ellis had an opportunity to showcase his abilities early. In a blowout road loss to the Houston Rockets, head coach Mike Brown emptied the bench, which included Ellis. Fourteen minutes and 26 seconds of racing was all it took for him to convince the technical staff to expand his role.
Keon Ellis played in the next six games, including two starts, while De’Aaron Fox was unavailable due to a sprained ankle before DNP-CD’s return. It was up and down until his debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 1, again in a game where Fox was unavailable.
He has played more than 13 minutes in each of the Kings’ last five appearances. Keegan Murray was unavailable for Tuesday’s action against the Milwaukee Bucks, and Ellis got his first opportunity to start at shooting guard.
Kevin Huerter was sidelined with an injury the next night, and Ellis got the nod again. These were two of Sacramento’s best defensive performances of the season, each featuring Ellis for 27-28 impactful minutes.
“He just stayed ready and was as steady as he could be. I’m happy for him,” Brown said after Tuesday’s win. “I’m happy he’s stepping up. I’m happy we rewarded him with a regular contract, and he shows he’s worth more than what we gave him.
These performances were no easy task for the 6’5 goalkeeper. Against the Bucks, he was assigned to future Hall of Famer Damian Lillard. When the Los Angeles Lakers came to town the next night, Ellis was tasked with slowing down former All-Star D’Angelo Russell. And he managed to do it twice, with the Kings improving to 6-0 in his starts.
His combination of length, anticipation, awareness, defensive intelligence and desire to win was evident and effective.
Keon Ellis highlights the defensive strengths of Sacramento’s back-to-back wins over the Bucks (Dame) and Lakers (D’Lo).
Six interceptions in total and plenty of deflections. pic.twitter.com/HbTZRctlCd
– Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) March 15, 2024
Keon Ellis had six steals (three each) and countless deflections throughout this consecutive streak. “When Keon is on the field, I think good things happen,” Fox said.
“The way he plays and the way he guards, it’s not normal,” he continued. “The way he’s able to go through screens, or if he’s guarding someone we consider ‘hot,’ there are times he’s able to slip underneath and still get in front the ball while being able to contest shots.”
Fox’s initial sentiment that “good things happen” when Ellis is on the field appears to be a common belief among the Sacramento staff and team. It sounds simple, but Ellis is a winning player who strives to pay attention to details.
“I just go out there, try to be in the right spots, make the right plays and not try to do too much,” he said. “Just go out there and try to execute everything the coaches tell us and let everything happen on its own.”
Mike Brown said he has no plans to start Keon Ellis when his team is fully healthy, but that doesn’t limit the 24-year-old’s opportunities. “It just adds to what is already a very, very good bench,” Brown said after beating the Lakers.
If Ellis can continue to make an impact defensively and fulfill his offensive role by knocking away shots and maintaining the ball and player movement that is critical to their success, his opportunities could continue to increase. But keep in mind that this is a second-year player and growing pains are part of the process.
Players such as Caleb Martin, Alex Caruso, Luguentz Dort, Gary Payton II, Jose Alvarado, Torrey Craig and Royce O’Neale have laid out the blueprint for success in the NBA despite going undrafted, and Keon Ellis is getting closer to belonging . in conversations as one of the best stories of this season.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
Sacramento continues its six-game homestand Saturday night against All-Star guard Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks at Golden 1 Center.
Last season, the Kings won 122-117 against the Knicks at home in front of a national audience on TNT. Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double (24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists), while De’Aaron Fox’s 24 points helped Sacramento close out the game in critical moments.
Be sure to tune in here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all your Kings vs. Kings coverage. Knicks, starting at 5:30 p.m. PST on Game night before an alert at 7:00 p.m. PST from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming calendar
- Saturday March 16 – Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks – 7:00 p.m. PST
- Monday March 18 – Sacramento Kings vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 7:00 p.m. PST
- Wednesday March 20 – Sacramento Kings @ Toronto Raptors – 4:30 p.m. PST
- Thursday March 21th – Sacramento Kings @ Washington Wizards – 4:00 p.m. PST
- Saturday March 23 – Sacramento Kings @ Orlando Magic – 4:00 p.m. PST
Thanks for the reading SactownSports.com. follow us on Twitter And Google Newsand subscribe to our Youtube channel.
