Keon Ellis Is Giving The Sacramento Kings An Identity

Key Highlights

• The Sacramento Kings are 7-2 with the NBA’s fifth-ranked defense since Keon Ellis rejoined their rotation
• According to Cleaning the Glass, Ellis ranks in the 99th percentile in block rate and 88th percentile in steal rate among combo guards
• Ellis is shooting 39.4 percent beyond the arc

Last season, the Sacramento Kings’ identity was as evident as anyone’s around the NBA. They were an elite offense — the league’s best — led by the speed of light at point guard and a savvy Lithuanian lumberjack at center. Shooting was abundant. They zipped the ball up the floor. They spammed dribble handoffs rich with counters to pummel opposing defenses en route to the West’s No. 3 seed and their first playoff appearance since 2005-06.

This season, replicating that identity has been hazier. Sacramento ranks 13th in offensive rating and is sixth in the West at 40-28, a mere half-game above the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks for a Play-In berth and 6.5 games back of the three spot.

Despite a prolific offense in 2022-23, the Kings finished the regular season 25th in defensive rating. Improving that mark was a pressing area of emphasis for Mike Brown and Co. entering the year. That’s led to fluid closing lineups and jigsaw rotations, which have come at the expense of offensive cohesion, floor-spacing and general game-by-game consistency. They tout shiny wins over the likes of the Thunder, Nuggets, and Timberwolves, as well as befuddling defeats against the Blazers, Pistons and Hornets.

For the most part, all that experimentation hasn’t really shown to benefit the defense. They’re still 20th in defensive rating.

Lately, though, an identity may be emerging for Sacramento, fostered by second-year guard Keon Ellis’ reintegration to the rotation. Since the beginning of March, Ellis has played nine of the past 10 games, including three starts and five consecutive outings with 27-plus minutes. Over that span, the Kings are 7-2 and fifth in defense (they’re also 8-1 this season when he plays at least 20 minutes).

The one time Ellis didn’t see the floor this month, the Bulls posted a 121.7 offensive rating (72nd percentile) and Coby White boogied his way to a career-high 37 points. With Kevin Huerter likely sidelined for a while because of a dislocated shoulder, Ellis will remain a mainstay in the rotation and continue starting in Huerter’s place, as he did in Wednesday’s 123-89 rout of the Raptors.

What Makes Keon Ellis So Good?

Ellis’ defensive credentials begin with his physical profile. He’s 6-foot-3, wields a 6-foot-8.5 wingspan and glides across the court. He’s been an absolute terror at the point of attack for the Kings, while not limiting the offense, shooting 39.4 percent beyond the arc. Davion Mitchell and Chris Duarte — a pair of fellow feisty perimeter defenders Sacramento’s tried to trust — don’t blend complementary two-way play like their counterpart.

The former Alabama standout has assumed daunting assignments all month such as Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson and Desmond Bane. Earlier this season, he wrangled with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander multiple times, too. Ellis is a slippery screen explorer, bounds as a lateral mover, seamlessly mirrors changes of pace and direction, and is light off the ground, which enables him to alter jumpers. It’s laborious to find space against him.

If he’s not pilfering takeaways or erasing shots (99th percentile block rate, 84th percentile steal rate), he’s certainly inducing stress for the offense. Only Victor Wembanyama (39) and Paul Reed (31) have more combined steals and blocks than Ellis (29) in March. With Ellis on the court this month, the Kings’ defense is 10.3 points better per 100 possessions. The gangly, sprawling 24-year-old is a pest.

His defensive positioning, awareness and playmaking translate off the ball as well. He’s constantly surveying the floor, locating his own man and igniting fireworks to punctuate possessions. His on-ball exploits are the headliner, but he’s always lurking, even if his duties don’t involve fighting over a screen or stymying a creation attempt.

This is simply a man who loves to defend, is really, really good at it, and is seizing an extended opportunity to showcase it.

Why Is Keon Ellis Important For The Kings?

Ellis’ presence ripples downstream for the entire team.

In assuming the stiffest of perimeter matchups, it allows De’Aaron Fox to roam as a playmaker (88th percentile steal rate, second in deflections per game) or hound secondary options with his speed, size and instincts on the ball.

Keegan Murray can operate as a low man to fortify the backline or focus on defending wings rather than being overextended against every single star initiator, regardless of whether it’s a suitable task for him.

Domantas Sabonis has more margin for error when he hedges screens because Ellis is right there, swiftly wiggling over picks and eliminating room for ball-handlers to dance. Sabonis’ defensive limitations are never about effort; the dude battles. Sometimes, he’s just overmatched. Ellis’ emergence helps ensure his effort is rewarded more often than not now.

In becoming a closer, he’s making sense of those three-guard lineups Sacramento commonly employs, but haven’t necessarily sparked winning minutes. Malik Monk routinely closes alongside Fox because of his creation, shooting and chemistry with Sabonis. Yet Huerter nor Mitchell have proven the ideal third member of this trio because of their shortcomings on one side of the ball. Ellis might be the answer.

In 1,894 possessions without Ellis, the Kings have a minus-0.9 net rating when Fox and Monk share the floor. Add Ellis into the fold and their net rating skyrockets to plus-14.7 through 252 possessions together.

He anchors the point of attack to alleviate pressure for his SEC mates, is a willing and effective shooter, and doesn’t overly impose himself when the ball swings his direction. Rarely is Ellis emboldened for a frenetic drive or risky pass (23 turnovers in 598 minutes). He hoists triples or keeps the flow alive. He recognizes he’s a background character offensively and revels in starring on the other end.

Despite netting 40.5 percent of his 111 career long-range attempts in the NBA, Ellis typically receives the coverage of a non-shooter. Defenses duck under screens or sag off on the weakside. The Celtics stashed Kristaps Porzingis on him — a tactic they employ for Porzingis to maximize his help responsibilities around the paint.

And yet, that’s not really reflective of his production and capabilities. He drilled 37.1 percent of his 434 collegiate threes and is pretty aggressive in his chances. He’ll shoot off of DHOs, fill open space for looks and fire without hesitation against closeouts.

How teams elect to guard him in the playoffs (if Sacramento qualifies) is important. As effective as he’s been this year, small sample results — Ellis is averaging 4.4 shots per game this month — dictate a shooter’s impact far less than the possession-by-possession respect they do or don’t garner. At the very least, he’s more than a stationary shooter relegated to a solitary life in the corners. This is useful diversity that complicates the non-shooter treatment.

Since announcing themselves as a playoff contender last fall, the Kings have been quiet at each major window for moves: the 2023 and 2024 trade deadlines, and the 2023 offseason. They’ve instead kept the chamber stocked and banked on internal improvement to drive them toward their goals. Through 4.5 months of the season, after a first-round exit and amid a stalling campaign, that approach seemed questionable.

Ellis’ blossoming might change the tune.

He’s a dogged, versatile perimeter defender who slots in exceptionally well around the Fox-Murray-Sabonis core, fills some of the gaps in their talented, albeit incomplete, lineups, and does more than enough to not sink the offense. It’s precisely the sort of player they’ve sought, and one giving them much-needed direction and stability as the postseason nears.