Mar 19, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) between plays against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
In a Kings season filled with inconsistency and change, Keon Ellis finished the year with career highs across the board, and we all pretty much wanted more. Not more from what is under Keon’s control, but rather more opportunities for the third-year guard when he was clearly one of the Kings better defenders _and_ deep shooters. It took until the tail end of the season – the whole 7 games in the month of April – before Keon averaged 30 minutes per contest over the course of a month, and regardless of the lineup and coaching challenges Sacramento faced this year, that just doesn’t make sense for a Kings roster that struggled with what Keon is good at.
Keon averaged 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting a career high 48.9% from the field and 43.3% from deep. When Keon was on the court, he wasn’t asked to do a ton on offense besides spacing the floor and attacking in transition, but on a roster that shuffled around a ton of ball handlers, his spacing and off-ball quick trigger were ideal. From November through April, he shot 39% from deep or better in each month, and he lived at the three point line – he was second among all Kings in three-point attempt rate, behind only Doug McDermott.
The advanced stats for Keon are downright hilarious; he was 7th on the team in total shots taken and a damning 12th in usage rate among players who played at least 350 minutes in Sacramento (and a whopping 22nd among all Kings who ever played). And per Cleaning the Glass, across all guards in the NBA, Keon was in the 100th percentile for total points scored per 100 shot attempts, in the 99th percentile for effective field goal percent, and in the 0th percentile for usage rate per minutes played. There are certainly limitations to his offensive game – he’s not a point guard, and he was second-to-last amongst big-minute players in assist rate (ahead of only Zach LaVine) – but for his role, Keon’s numbers highlight his excellence.
Ellis also continued to be a strong and determined defender. His individual advanced numbers per Cleaning the Glass aren’t as strong as teammate Keegan Murray’s, but he did hold opponents to below the league average and was in the 94th percentile across guards for his 2.8% steal rate. And Keon was one of only two Kings in all four of their most successful lineups when comparing team points per possessions against their opponents (the second? DeMar DeRozan).
Keon was a model for his role on the roster even as little around him in Sacramento matched his consistency. Considering his defensive approach, deep shot ability, and easy synergy with the Kings ball handlers, it remains a mystery to me why Mike Brown didn’t start him from day 1. We can’t pretend Keon’s inconsistent playing time was the Kings biggest issue this season, but I know I’m not alone in wondering if the Kings could have gotten off to a better start this season – and survived the 13-18 start that cost Brown his job – if Brown had at least played Ellis more than 18 minutes per contest in those 31 games. While the roster will go through some restructuring this summer, I hope Doug Christie continues what he ended the year with and keeps Ellis in the starting lineup. I know it’s hard to give any player a great grade after the totality of the season, but Keon deserves it.
### **Grade: A-**