Kings HC Mike Brown Praises Keon Ellis After Breakout Game
The Sacramento Kings kicked off their six-game home stretch on Thursday with an impressive 128-123 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The stars of the show were Kings G De'Aaron Fox and Thunder G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as the opposing All-Star point guards combined for 84 points.
While the Kings All-NBA duo of Fox and Domantas Sabonis were pivotal in Thursday's win, Sacramento's game-changing duo came off the bench. Kings G Malik Monk contributed 18 points and nine assists, while G Keon Ellis had a career-high 17 points, shooting 5-7 from deep.
Monk's near double-double boosts his case for NBA Sixth Man of the Year, but Ellis' performance was a pleasant surprise. All Kings fans know how valuable Ellis can potentially be on both sides of the ball, but his breakout game on Thursday might have put everyone on notice.
Kings HC Mike Brown praised Ellis after the game (via @SeanCunningham | X):
"Keon [Ellis] was big. He's been big ever since we gave him minutes. He just doesn't seem to get rattled out there, and teams continue to leave him open. ...He had a lot of open looks tonight, and he knocked them down. We have faith and confidence in him, especially when his feet are set and he is shooting wide-open catch-and-shoot threes. Heck of a game from him on both sides of the floor. ...I am not saying Keon is Bruce Bowen, but there are some defenders like Bruce Bowen, who you give him the choice... Keon has those types of instincts, and then his length and his quickness allow him to sometimes recover when he does not make the right basketball read defensively."
Besides praising his three-point shooting after a career-best shooting night, Brown compared Ellis to five-time All-Defensive First Team recipient Bruce Bowen. Ellis, 23, is not on the same level as Bowen, but his defensive prowess suggests he has the potential to get there.
After starting the season as the third or fourth-string point guard, Ellis has fought into the rotation, confidently taking the spot as the backup behind Fox. Ellis is still on a two-way contract, but that will likely change before the end of the season.
If Ellis can continue to shoot like he did in Thursday's win, the young point guard will quickly become a premier two-way talent and more valuable for Sacramento's future.
Follow Inside The Kings on Facebook and X.
Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Kings news videos and live-stream podcasts!
