Things haven’t gone the Sacramento Kings’ way these past few days. After opening their preseason with a homecourt loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Kings went on the road and suffered another defeat to the Bay Area squad on Friday. It all leaves a bad taste in the mouths of Sacramento fans, considering all the color that’s been brewing between their favorite team and the Warriors as of late.

On the positive side, preseason is just preseason. It’s a time for Kings players to shake off the vacation rust before the real campaign commences. It’s also a period where Mike Brown can finalize his lineup combinations and decide which players in the supporting cast are ready for bigger roles.

At the moment, one particular player seems to be poised for more responsibilities: Keon Ellis. Despite having pieces such as Malik Monk and (a recovering) Kevin Huerter on the roster, Brown decided that the starting SG spot – which was a question mark this past summer — would remain with the third-year guard out of Alabama, per Sactown Sports’ Frankie Cartoscelli. And this choice is exactly why Keon Ellis is bound for a breakout season.

Keon Ellis, the Kings’ defensive stopper

Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) during media day at Golden 1 Center
© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

What does Keon Ellis bring to the table? Defense. It’s exactly why the undrafted guard drew plenty of attention during last season’s play-ins, specifically when the Kings sent the Warriors home for good. Finishing the game with 15 points, five assists, three steals, and three blocks, Ellis showed the world his brand of basketball as he hounded Stephen Curry the entire night.

The 6-foot-4 guard isn’t the most imposing presence on the floor, but his willingness to stop elite scorers is what gives him playing time. In fact, it’s what allowed him to work his way to the first unit late last season (when Huerter went down).

Look at his impact on the team as a consistent starter. From the beginning of the 2023 season up until early March, Ellis started just four times in 63 games. In the Kings’ last 19 games, however, he started in all but two games.

During Sacramento’s first 63 games, their opponents shot 49.8% from the floor. In the final 19 outings, that percentage dipped to 44.8%. The Kings allowed foes to shoot 39.8% from three-point territory in the first 63 games. During the last 19 games? It went down to 35.1%. Opponent turnovers increased as well, going from 13.7 per game (in the first 63 games) to 14.5 per game (in the last 19 games). And as for points allowed, the Kings gave up 117.9 opponent points per game in the first 63 games. For the remainder of the season, that was brought down to 104.5 per game (stats via NBA.com).

To put it another way, inserting Ellis consistently in the first five during that 19-game span worked well for Sacramento defensively.

His offensive numbers won’t turn heads. During the 2023-24 season, Ellis put up 5.4 points (46.1 FG%) and 1.5 assists per game. But that’s because he averaged just 17.2 minutes through the 82-game span. Granting him more time on the floor will most certainly result in higher averages.

The thing is, Ellis’ lack of touches actually makes him a good fit for the first five. With De’Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan as his fellow starters, Ellis won’t be tasked to create a lot of plays anytime soon. He’ll be focused on stopping opposing scorers while a lot of his points will result from off-ball buckets. Regardless, in those moments when he gets the rock, he’ll be ready. Last season, Ellis shot 41.7% from downtown, making him a reliable threat from outside.

Additionally, having both Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter in the second unit adds more depth to the bench. This, in turn, balances out the distribution of firepower within the rotation.

Keon Ellis won’t have a breakout season because of scoring, no. But on the other side of the ball, that’s where he’ll make noise. So Kings fans, be ready because the 24-year-old might just be named to one of the All-Defensive Teams this coming season.