He first shuffled his shoulders before waving his arms. Then Mike Brown launched into an imitation very improbable movement of the characters in the film Matrix, to avoid bullets, based on “ ouhhh! “. The Kings coach couldn't find a better image to describe Keon Ellis and his ability to pass through screens. “ He does it like a veteran. It's hard to play pick-and-roll on him. He slips… I don't know how he does it. »
The performance of the young fullback from Sacramento has a lot to do with his coach's enthusiasm. This one, on the occasion of the most important match of the Kings' season, responded again. “ We all see him developing before our eyes, he is not at all afraid of the moment “, cowardly De'Aaron Foxcoming out of their victory against the Warriors.
This night, a hell of a challenge presented itself to the revelation of the Kings' season: trying to slow down the best shooter of all time. Precisely through the use of screens, he was not able to do it all the time. But his active hands, good positioning and speed hampered the Warriors leader. The latter finished with 22 points (8/16 on shots) and lost 6 balls, having had to work a lot to find space.
Progress in attack
Another undeniable defensive impact for Ellis. “ I can't imagine playing against him in college with Herb Jones on the same team! This is madness for any attacker! », Adds De'Aaron Fox in reference to the fact that the Pelicans player played with his teammate one season (2020-21) at Alabama.
The 24-year-old has demonstrated in recent weeks that he can be more than a player assigned to defensive duties. Over his last 13 outings in the regular season, he averaged 11 points with a very good 46% 3-point success rate. Ellis did a little better last night with 15 points (5/8 shooting), 5 assists and 4 rebounds, not to mention 3 interceptions and 3 blocks. All in 39 minutes of play.
“ The confidence he has and the energy he brings to this team, for a two-way contract in February, is incredible. It's very nice to watch. He responds night, after night, after night… And shows that he can contribute on both sides of the field. And we can see that he is getting more comfortable with each match. He starts attacking the basket, making the play, and not just shooting 3-point catch-and-shoots. It's really nice to see him grow especially in such a short time. », enthuses Brown.
A meteoric rise for this undrafted player whose contract was still very precarious at the start of the season. Mike Brown must look at the match sheet to remember the context of this start of the exercise.
Undrafted!
“ I will never forget Keon, Colby (Jones)…Let me look at who's on the roster (sic)... Oh and Davion (Mitchell). These three guys, we said to ourselves that they could play as backup point guard. And obviously, Davion had a great season for us last year. He was at the top of the list, and for me Colby was #2, Keon #3. He's the two-way guy, it'll be nice for him to have some G League experience. And then in training, he started doing some pretty interesting things… », remembers the coach.
To the point of being used in the rotation and even starting early in the season. The back will still go through sequences without playing, before settling in definitively in March. “ I couldn't have told you he'd be in this position today », agrees Brown who, in principle, had to mobilize other players due to the absences of Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk.
His coach ends, evoking another more or less comparable career trajectory: “ I'm not saying that Keon is (Nikola) Jokic, I'm not saying Keon is Jokic, please. But I believe Jokic was a second round draft pick, Draymond too. Finding those kinds of guys who can make an impact is huge. »
| Keon Ellis | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 | BAG | 16 | 4 | 43.8 | 50.0 | 57.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.5 |
| 2023-24 | BAG | 57 | 17 | 46.1 | 41.7 | 74.3 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 5.4 |
| Total | 73 | 14 | 46.0 | 42.2 | 71.4 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 4.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
