If you are on Twitter (I refuse to call it "X") and are interested in learning more about the stats and the NBA, I highly recommend following the account called NBA University.
The account is constantly posting great data charts and video montages, and on Monday, he decided to spotlight a member of our Sacramento Kings.
Keon Ellis is a MONSTER point of attack defender...
— NBA University (@NBA_University) August 26, 2024
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
If you have been reading this website for a while, you already know that we think Ellis is one of the most underrated role players in the NBA. Not only is he an elite perimeter defender (as the tweet above illustrates), but he's a good shooter (41.7% from three last year), closeout attacker (88th percentile in true shooting on drives, per Thinking Basketball), and he's on one of the best contracts in basketball.
This is all well and good, but let's focus on one interesting thing that NBA University said in their tweet. Before the All-Star break, Ellis was averaging 11.5 minutes per game. After the break, his minutes ballooned up to 25 minutes per contest. This bump in playing time for Ellis led to the Kings posting the ninth-best defensive rating after the All-Star break in the league (they were 18th before that).
Next Season Could Be The End of A Two-Decade-Long Drought
With Ellis playing a more prominent role in the Kings' lineup last year, Sacramento was a top 10 defense in the NBA. The team has not had a full season as a top 10 defense since 2003 (by far the longest streak of any team in the NBA).
If the Kings heed my advice and give Ellis the starting two guard spot, they could end a 21-year drought without a good/great NBA defense.
That is a lot of weight to place on a player, especially a guard (remember, when it comes to defense, centers are a lot more impactful than guards). However, the Kings do have some nice defensive personnel around Ellis. Along with him, they have Keegan Murray (90th percentile Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus, per Dunks & Threes), De'Aaron Fox (87th percentile DEF EPM), and Devin Carter (a player that some experts have compared to Derrick White).
I still am not sure that guard can be the one to anchor the Kings to their first top 10 defense since the early 2000s, at least not for a full season. But if Ellis accomplishes this feat, he should get some serious consideration for one of the All-Defensive Team spots.