A win is a win! (I feel like I’ve been saying that after a lot of these recent games.)
Keon Ellis needs more minutes.
Full recap to follow, for now let’s see those gifs!
Postgame Thread: Kings 119, Pelicans 111
Light the Beam!
By Greg Wissinger | 37 Comments | Feb 12, 2025
Feb 12, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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The Zach Attack is back!
LTB!
I got a kings sweater spread over on a chair. Last 3 games before I head out, I’ve been tapping it while saying LTB. Anyone else do stupid stuff like that? Lol
Hey look, a backup PG.
DUDE! Thought you were trolling for some reason ????
I don’t know enough to have an opinion about this, but I’m intrigued…
Another under the radar really good signing. True PG. Good on ball defender. Played well for Orlando two seasons ago then regressed with his shot last year. But I think he can help our bench. Nice depth piece. Wonder if it’s one year or a team option.
I’m guessing Daishen Nix will not get another 10-day contract.
Well done! Lather rinse repeat.
Zion doesn’t play back-to-backs either IIRC, so no excuses not to win tomorrow.
Hopefully they stick with that plan. That would help a lot to keep us “Rollin’ on the river!”
&ct=g
Shaping up to be a good night—TWolves and Suns both lost, L****s trailing the Jazz by 18 at the end of the third; and if the Dubs can beat the Mavs, we’ll be tied for 8th in the West
So what you’re saying is we gotta actually root for the Warriors tonight? Go…. Buddy?
Trade Luka!!!!
I rather root for mavs and keep winning!
80 Points in the paint by Pels. Ouch.
Sixteen 3’s by Kings and zero by CJ McCollum.
The value of the 3 wins the day, combined with limiting turnovers to 3 in the last three quarters, after having 8 in the 1st quarter.
I love having JV on our side even more than I hated going up against him.
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Mardi Gras Dance! Kings Win!
(there’s a lot of colors they’re wearing. I remember when I went to Mardi Gras they were throwing doubloons and yelling to some of the more colorful, to “Show us your tints”)
Mondegreen at the Mardi Gras
In a season that’s mostly been a mess, Keon Ellis is the reason I still watch these games. I love this dude. I also think it’s possible he’s like the 3rd best player on the team and we haven’t realized it yet.
Hes an excellent shooter but when he was run off the 3 point line, he finished strong at the rim, hit a perfect floater and had a pretty pass to Sabonis for a layup. If he can hard drive off close outs consistently he moves into an entirely different tier of player. I still think the best option for this team is to bring Lavine or DeRozan off the bench because the lineups just work better but as long as Keon is getting 30 minutes a night we should be alright.
Agreed. His handles are still loose, and he is sometimes late in rotation (which is really only noticeable because he gives a damn on D), but I think he still has untapped upside. And it could be argued that he is the 2nd most net impactful player, behind Domas. Monk is more important due to the roster construct, and DDR is clutch. But the team seems to most frequently be a net positive when Domas & Keon are on the floor. Easily Monte’s best raw find.
I will forever be of the belief that Keon would have been the perfect ying to Fox’s yang, but that’s not gonna happen now.
By the way, the Spurs have that kind of pairing perfectly queued up with Fox and Castle, but neither of them can shoot the 3 ball like Keon can.
Yeah I think at this point it’s the best move Monte has made in his tenure as the Kings GM. Finding a guy who impacts the game the way he does basically for free is the only real way franchises like the Kings can gain a real advantage outside of drafting a franchise changing guy like Wemby.
He really should be the starting off guard on this team. It’s just too bad that Monte has constructed a roster that has 3 off guards starting ahead of him.
Put me in the camp that I will be incredibly pissed if he is moved before any of LaVine, DDR or Monk. Yup, I said it. With his contract, Ellis should be that last guard moved on this team in any trade…and that includes Monk.
Before anyone might flip out, Keon’s contract makes his inclusion in a trade no more than salary filler. You just can’t get back equal value for him unless you are dumping a large salary. The Hali and Buddy trade for Saboins is a loose example, but Keon is currently making less money than Neemis Queta!
For shits and giggles. Let’s say you attach him to LaVine’s contract this summer. Only around 10 NBA players make more than their combined salary. The Kings aren’t getting any of those guys.
Now let’s say you were to attach Keon to DDR’s contract this summer in trade. That’s roughly $26m in contracts. That’s Tobias Harris, Andrew Wiggins and John Collins type of money. Do you attach Ellis to a contract like DDR for a return like that? I think other teams would pounce on the opportunity to get and control Keon on his deal.
There are 336 players in the league making more money than Keon right now. He might just be best value to contract in the entire league.
Agreed Adam. He’s the perfect guy to fit in next to other stars. My guess would be that a lot of teams were asking about him at the trade deadline. Just mentioned this below but if I were the Kings, I’d work to sign him to a contract similar to what Austin Reaves got: 4-54. If they can pull that off it’s an absolute steal.
So… how much Keon Ellis will make on his next contract?!
A lot more than he makes right now!
Seriously though, I think something similar to what we just gave Malik Monk. My hope would be we can sign him to the Austin Reaves contract which I believe was 4-54 million. If we can get him on that deal, it’s absolute steal. Come to think of it, Reaves is actually a really good comp for Keon. Obviously very different players but both undrafted guys whose impact far exceeds their draft position.
Glad the Kings won, but ugh…DDR is a ball stopper, like there is glue on his hands. Once he gets it, it’s not leaving his hands and it is iso iso iso. I can’t even figure out how the heck he got 6 assists. Did he assist himself?
I’ve noticed he tends to start really slow and move the ball and then when it hits the 4th quarter, he’s taking the shot every time it touches his hands. Now, to be fair to Demar, he makes a lot of those shots but I agree that we need a little more movement in the starting lineup.
Yup, run the Princeton Point series. You have a passing big in Domas and willing effective cutters in Zach and Keegan. If they reverse it, pass to Monk or DDR for a 3 or drive.
I’ll throw this in as well regarding Keon. In the 6 games since the Fox trade, he’s shooting 64% from 3, hasn’t made less than half of his 3’s in any of those games, and is averaging 29.5 minutes a game. Add the great defense and it seems like we need start talking about Keon as less a fun story and more a legitimate two-way impact player.
Another question I’ve been pondering. Who has more value league wide right now: Keon Ellis or Keegan Murray? I think it’s probably still Keegan because he’s bigger but man, it feels like it’s getting closer by the day. And I like Keegan! I still think he’d look a lot better if he wasn’t the 5th option on offense every time he’s on the floor. I also tend to think his shooting will come back at some point. The form is very good.
Yes, part of that is scheme, but a lot of that is also on Keegan simply not being aggressive enough or demanding the ball.
I doubt he’ll ever be such a guy, and I think that puts a definite ceiling on his growth potential.
Between us not calling plays and the strong ISO tendencies of several of our starters, it looks like our offense puts a hard ceiling on Keegan. At least that will save us money on his extension.
I know it’s early, but LaVine just does not fit on this roster and should be traded over the summer.
I don’t like that he starts over Keon, doesn’t pass well, stops the ball, is a poor defender who allows too much dribble penetration, and seems to negatively affect the performance of Monk, Domas, and Keegan, 3 very important players.
Color me very unimpressed with LaVine so far.
CJ and Malik when they “squared up”…
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