Keon Ellis started the NBA’s 2023-24 season on a two-way contract. He’s ending it as a starter in the postseason.
The Sacramento Kings finished tied with the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference standings at 46-36, but that was good for only ninth place on that side of the NBA, pitting the teams in the play-in tournament in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game.
The Warriors and Kings square off at 9 p.m. CDT Tuesday at Golden One Center in Sacramento, California. TNT will televise the game.
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Ellis’ contributions this season had caused the Kings to move him from his two-way contract, which allowed him to be shuttled back and forth to the NBA G League, to three-year contract with Sacramento in February.
On March 18, Sacramento guard Kevin Huerter sustained a torn labrum, and Ellis has started every game since. When guard Malik Monk suffered a sprained MCL on March 29, Ellis’ role at the end of games increased, too. While Monk had not been in the starting lineup this season, he averaged 26.0 minutes, 15.4 points and 5.1 assists per game.
In starting the past 15 games, Ellis has averaged 9.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals while playing 27.0 minutes. In his 42 previous games, Ellis had averaged 3.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals in 13.6 minutes.
“His skill set is unique,” Kings coach Mike Brown said of Ellis after he entered the starting lineup. “His arms are a lot longer than what you think. His anticipation and his feel, for a young guy, never been around it – not for a second-year guy that played in the G League his whole first year and got limited minutes so far. I’ve been in the league 30-something years and I can’t fully grasp it because he’s so young. But he plays like an old soul, and his feel is like an old soul.
“But he’s probably a little bit quicker than you think, a little bit more athletic than you think. Arms are a little longer than you think. And his feel, anticipation, hands, it’s early, but they might be second to nobody.”
A member of the SEC All-Defensive team for the 2021-22 season at Alabama, Ellis knows where his bread is buttered in the NBA after going undrafted in 2022.
“I know I’m not going to be the De’Aaron Fox of the team,” Ellis said. “I’m in because I play defense. I’m going to continue to go in and play defense. With guys like Domas (Sabonis), Fox, Keegan (Murray), whoever, they’re going to gain much of the attention. I’ll fall into wide-open opportunities for catch-and-shoot. Teams will go under. I can accept what I’m out there for. I need to make sure I’m on my assignment on the defensive end.”
Ellis has made 44.6 percent of his 3-point shots since entering the lineup, and he sank eight while scoring a career-high 26 points in a 112-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 9.
The winner of the Warriors-Kings game still won’t be in the full-field NBA playoffs. It will have to play the loser of the Los Angeles Lakers-New Orleans Pelicans game. The No. 7 vs. No. 8 game is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The winner of that game will advance to play the No. 2 seeded Denver Nuggets. The loser will play the winner of the Golden State-Sacramento game for the spot opposite the top-seeded Thunder.
A former Alabama teammate of Ellis, Herb Jones plays the role of defensive stopper for the Pelicans. In 76 starts this season, the former Hale County High School star has averaged 11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.5 minutes in his third NBA campaign.
Ellis and Jones are among the seven alumni of Alabama high schools and colleges eligible to keep playing after the NBA regular season ended on Sunday:
· Forward Kobe Brown (Lee-Huntsville) averaged 2.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 44 games as a rookie for the Los Angeles Clippers. As the fourth seed in the West, the Clippers will play the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round.
· Guard Colby Jones (Mountain Brook) averaged 2.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 30 games as a rookie for Sacramento.
· Guard Davion Mitchell (Auburn) averaged 5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 72 games, with four starts, for the Kings.
· Forward Isaac Okoro (Auburn) averaged 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 69 games, with 42 starts, for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, his fourth in the NBA. As the No. 4 seed in the East, the Cavaliers are matched against the No. 5 Orlando Magic in a first-round playoff series.
· Forward Chuma Okeke (Auburn) averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 47 games, with eight starts, for the Magic this season.
In the East, the play-in tournament will start on Wednesday. The Miami Heat-Philadelphia 76ers play at 6 p.m. in the 7/8 game, and the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls play at 8:30 p.m. in the 9/10 game. ESPN will televise the games. The Heat-76ers winner advances to play the New York Knicks. The loser faces the Hawks-Bulls winner for a spot against the Boston Celtics.
The playoff matchups shape up like this in the East:
· No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. winner of the play-in tournament’s third game
· No. 2 New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat-Philadelphia 76ers play-in tournament game winner
· No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers
· No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic
In the West, the first-round looks like this:
· No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the winner of the play-in tournament’s third game
· No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers-New Orleans Pelicans play-in tournament game winner
· No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns
· No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.