Kings HC Mike Brown Confirms Starting 2-Guard To Begin Camp

Sacramento Kings head coach has answered the biggest question heading into training camp.

Mar 18, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown with guard Keon Ellis (23) against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images / Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The main question for the Sacramento Kings coming into this season was who would start at the shooting guard spot.

Sacramento head coach Mike Brown joined Sactown Sports’ Allen Stiles and Chris Watkins and wasted no time giving the nod to Keon Ellis over Malik Monk as training camp gets underway.

UPDATE: Mike Brown tells @Sactown1140 Keon Ellis will run with the starting unit at the 2 guard position.

Mentioned Kevin Huerter being hurt and the desire to keep Malik Monk as the 6th man. pic.twitter.com/9KoAVFCCsh

— Allen Stiles (@The_StilesFiles) September 30, 2024

Keon Ellis is the logical choice based on balancing out lineups. His defensive abilities pair perfectly with the other four starters of De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis.

Keon is the exact type of low usage-high impact player that great teams have on their teams. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands but always finds ways to help the team win.

Ellis cemented himself in the rotation for the final 22 games of last season, 17 of which he started. Prior to game 61, the Kings had a defensive rating of 116.5, which would have ranked 23rd in the league.

For games 62-82 they sat at 108.6, which would have been right behind the league-leading Minnesota Timberwolves at 108.4.

Keon not only helped on the defensive side of the ball but also hit his threes at a 41.7 clip. He should have no shortage of great looks from beyond the arc while opponents focus on the Kings stars.

Keon Ellis is a MONSTER point of attack defender...

Sacramento had a top 10 defense post-allstar last season & Ellis was a huge reason why. Master deflection/poke-out artist. Full-court pressure bully. Hyper-aglie. Even knocked down a high clip of open 3s. Crucial piece for SAC. pic.twitter.com/ee6LdId7WK

— NBA University (@NBA_University) August 26, 2024

Monk coming off the bench gives the second unit an offensive boost and someone who can both run the offense or create for himself, both skills Keon is still unproven in at this level. Monk averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 assists last season while finishing second in the Sixth Man of the Year award voting.

With Kevin Huerter likely coming off the bench when he returns from injury, the Kings have a lethal combination of scorers in Monk and Huerter.

Time will tell if the decision to start Keon over Monk remains the same at the beginning of the season, but for now, the biggest question mark for the Sacramento Kings has been answered.

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