When you are on a seven-game winning streak, it is hard to pinpoint any issues that need to be remedied. That is currently life for the Sacramento Kings, who just recently etched out a narrow victory over the Chicago Bulls to extend their streak to seven games.
But no team is without problems, especially one that is still only 20-19 and fresh off firing their most successful head coach in the last decade and a half.
The Keon Ellis Problem
As the headline suggests, for the Kings, that problem revolves around Keon Ellis. On the season, Ellis is averaging 7.1 PPG, 1.4 SPG, and 0.8 BPG while shooting 40.8% from three. The Kings are also 13.3 points better per 100 possessions when Ellis is on the floor compared to when he is on the bench. That is a team-high and ranks in the 96th percentile leaguewide (per Cleaning the Glass).
That sounds exactly like what you want from one of your role players, right? So, where is the problem here?
While Ellis is clearly valuable to this team, the way the roster is structured makes it hard for him to get the minutes he deserves – at least, when they are healthy.
When De'Aaron Fox was missing against the Miami Heat, Ellis was able to play a whopping 49 minutes and be there for all the crunch-time moments. But against the Bulls, Ellis had to be on the bench for the final 90 seconds of the highly-contested game.
When everyone is healthy, Fox, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, and Malik Monk's paychecks and status make it difficult to not have them out there in close game situations. That leaves just one available spot, and given the Kings' desperate need for size and defense, it makes more sense to have Keegan Murray out there than Ellis.
How to fix this problem?
Ellis is a very important member of this Kings team, and he needs to be out there for them in those big moments.
To do this, the Kings will have to bite the bullet and let one of Monk or DeRozan (whoever is playing worse that night) sit the bench to close tight games. This would create a spot for Ellis and go a long way toward addressing the lineup balance issues that have been a problem for the Kings all season long.
I'm sure neither Monk nor DeRozan would gladly take that "demotion," but to win in sports, sometimes you need to make sacrifices.