Sacramento Kings final month stock watch: 2 risers and 1 faller

With less than 20 games left in the regular season, we have officially reached the most exciting time in the playoff race. In the West, the Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Clippers are locked in as playoff teams, while the Pelicans, Suns, Kings, Mavericks, Lakers, and Warriors are all eyeing the fifth and sixth seeds. 

None of these teams want to be in the play-in, so now is the time to take care of business. The Kings have struggled with that all season long, losing to teams they should beat. 

This is an issue for the entire team, but some players are also just not playing well down the stretch. So, let’s look at two players whose stock is rising and one whose stock is falling.

Keon Ellis’ stock is rising

Keon Ellis’ story is one of the nicest ones in the league this season. For months, he left it all out on the court when he got a chance to be there and tried his best to play Mike Brown’s brand of basketball. 

If someone didn’t play well, Ellis was right there, ready to take their minutes. He impacts games with his energy and defensive activity, earning himself a standard NBA contract. 

The new deal was well deserved, but Ellis is still young and rather inexperienced, which speaks against him having a big impact down the stretch. And yet, Ellis has been playing well.

So far this month, he started in De’Aaron Fox’s place in Minnesota, got a DNP against the Bulls, and then played incredibly well against the Lakers and Spurs. In those wins, he got a big chunk of Kevin Huerter’s minutes and made his presence known defensively. 

This season is already a success for Ellis, and he continues to carve out a role for himself in this league.