Now that the Sacramento Kings 2024-25 NBA Season is behind us, it is time to take stock of the players we have on the roster heading into next season. To do this, we need to discuss how they looked this year and how they can build on it in the future. So, over the next couple of days, we are going to go over each key returning player for next year and assign them a grade for their production in 2024-25.
Now, without further ado, let the grading begin.
Keon Ellis 2024-25 Season
Keon Ellis was the biggest bright spot of the Kings' 2023-24 season. After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, Ellis emerged as an excellent three-and-D role player for the Kings when Kevin Huerter went down with an injury. Many people (myself included) were expecting him to be the team's starting shooting guard heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
Not only did Ellis not start out the season in the starting lineup, he wasn't even a consistent part of the rotation! In the team's second game of the season, despite not being injured, Ellis logged a DNP-CD (did not play, coach's decision).
Ellis wasn't riding the bench because his production had fallen off, either. On the season, Ellis was in the 74th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus, the 96th percentile in steal rate, and the 82nd percentile in block rate (per Dunks & Threes). His on/off rating was the second-highest on the team, behind only Domantas Sabonis (minimum of 100 minutes played). He also hit 43.3% of his 3-point attempts.
Things got better when head coach Mike Brown was replaced by interim head coach Doug Christie. Under Brown, Ellis was averaging 19.9 MPG. That total bumped up to 26.9 MPG when Christie took over the throne. Christie even ended up moving Malik Monk back to the bench so that Ellis could start as the season went on.
Maybe Ellis' minutes were limited because he took too many gambles on defense? Maybe it was to conserve his energy and maximize his effectiveness on the court (kind of like the Oklahoma City Thunder do with Alex Caruso)?
Whatever it was, Ellis' up-and-down minute totals made him ineligible for All-Defensive Team honors (because of the rules the league implemented prior to the start of the 2023-24 NBA season).
Still, despite not being recognized for his defensive prowess the way he likely should have been, Ellis proved that he wasn't just some one-hit wonder. Unlike many players on the Kings' current roster, Ellis is an incredibly versatile player, one who provides impact on both sides of the ball. He's also on one of the best contracts in the entire league. The Kings need to do whatever it takes to make him a featured part of their next competitive team.