Kings sign Keon Ellis to 3-year deal
- Thread starter coolhandluke
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I wouldn't mind Ellis starting instead of Barnes either. Move Huerter to the 3 where his foot speed is less of a liability on defense (and where Murray can take the bigger offensive threat between the opposing 3 & 4) and get Keon in as the starting SG.
Long term the Kings have three main guys (four if you count Monk - and I do) and they have to build around them. Upgrading from Barnes and/or Huerter has to be a focus.
Long term the Kings have three main guys (four if you count Monk - and I do) and they have to build around them. Upgrading from Barnes and/or Huerter has to be a focus.
I would love to see Keon starting next to Fox, but it may not happen until next year.
The problem with benching Huerter (especially) or Barnes (less so) is that Huerter hasn't taken well to being demoted to the bench before and that would kill his confidence and therefore his trade value. HB seems like he would be more receptive to a bench role, but he has been pretty steady recently.
I think it's going to be a question of whether coach thinks Keon would give us a greater chance to win in the playoffs this year or not. If he doesn't think so, then it may be better to preserve Huerter and HB confidence and trade value, so we can use them to upgrade in the summer.
The problem with benching Huerter (especially) or Barnes (less so) is that Huerter hasn't taken well to being demoted to the bench before and that would kill his confidence and therefore his trade value. HB seems like he would be more receptive to a bench role, but he has been pretty steady recently.
I think it's going to be a question of whether coach thinks Keon would give us a greater chance to win in the playoffs this year or not. If he doesn't think so, then it may be better to preserve Huerter and HB confidence and trade value, so we can use them to upgrade in the summer.
Yeah, I don't think Huerter or HB are bad NBA starters by any means. I think the needs of our team have just drastically changed with Monk/Keegan developing into much better/higher USG offensive options. Last year, it was the Fox/Domas show and then a pile of like 6 dudes who all took turns having a big game and being the main 3rd or 4th guy for that game. This year, it's clearly Fox/Domas/Monk with Keegan a tier below and then everybody else fighting for whatever is left over.
We just can't have 40 mil tied into two redundant pieces in HB and Huerter. That money just has to be spent elsewhere (preferably, on defense), or even put into 1 player that's a talent upgrade. We're seeing it with Keon and Davion both playing great the last few weeks how important just putting good defenders on the floor is (assuming they can at least be passable offensively). Now imagine just having that money to be able to invest in quality defensive talent.
We just can't have 40 mil tied into two redundant pieces in HB and Huerter. That money just has to be spent elsewhere (preferably, on defense), or even put into 1 player that's a talent upgrade. We're seeing it with Keon and Davion both playing great the last few weeks how important just putting good defenders on the floor is (assuming they can at least be passable offensively). Now imagine just having that money to be able to invest in quality defensive talent.
Surprisingly his FG is over 50% lately, it's swept under the rug because of his low-volume shooting with 3.6 FGA. We might have another 3D player in a year or two if he keeps that up. He has shown flashes of pin-point passing skills in traffic and all above shooting/passing could develop well with regular minutes.
He has two advantages over Davion in my mind.
Number one, he's not a (really) poor man's De'aaron Fox offensively. Davion is really a lead guard who needs the ball in his hands and has a history of stopping ball. "Secondary" is key here.
Two, he's actually a legit sized SG.
Either way, I do think both Huerter and Barnes but especially Huerter hard caps your defense. We just haven't figured out a way to solve that without trading off the offense in the process (Davion), or potential replacements are worse defenders (Vezenkov).
Number one, he's not a (really) poor man's De'aaron Fox offensively. Davion is really a lead guard who needs the ball in his hands and has a history of stopping ball. "Secondary" is key here.
Two, he's actually a legit sized SG.
Either way, I do think both Huerter and Barnes but especially Huerter hard caps your defense. We just haven't figured out a way to solve that without trading off the offense in the process (Davion), or potential replacements are worse defenders (Vezenkov).
Keon is the only dude that really talks on defense. He organizes other players (gets them in the right spots), and touches every offensive player near him (marking them and slowing them). So it’s not a straight - who is better (Keon or Huerter). It’s that the Kings need a defensive floor general.
If Keon’s offense was a detriment - different story - but he is good at spacing the floor and keeping the ball moving (and there are not many shots available in the starting line up for our 2 guard anyway).
Don’t worry about Huerter’s confidence. He’ll be able to get a lot of touches in lineups with Len and be more of a focal point when he plays (if he’s hot he plays more, if he’s not he plays less). Dude has a proven track record and his trade value is pretty static.
If Keon’s offense was a detriment - different story - but he is good at spacing the floor and keeping the ball moving (and there are not many shots available in the starting line up for our 2 guard anyway).
Don’t worry about Huerter’s confidence. He’ll be able to get a lot of touches in lineups with Len and be more of a focal point when he plays (if he’s hot he plays more, if he’s not he plays less). Dude has a proven track record and his trade value is pretty static.
It's still a small sample size, but right now with 581 minutes in his NBA career Keon has stacked up very nicely against the second rounders in his draft.
He leads the entire second round in Box Plus/Minus at 0.5 (no player in the second round is positive, but to be fair only four players in the first round are positive, so this may have something to do with Ellis playing more time with the starters).
He trails only Jaylin Williams from the second round in VORP (0.5 to 0.4).
No player from the second round is better in both total Win Shares (1.3) AND WS/48 (.105).
He leads the entire second round in Box Plus/Minus at 0.5 (no player in the second round is positive, but to be fair only four players in the first round are positive, so this may have something to do with Ellis playing more time with the starters).
He trails only Jaylin Williams from the second round in VORP (0.5 to 0.4).
No player from the second round is better in both total Win Shares (1.3) AND WS/48 (.105).
Him and Keegan long term could be ferocious as our top 2 defenders. Domas also looks a lot better as the last line of defense when guys are having to work harder to get to the cup. His defense hasn't always looked great but looked vastly improved over the last 2 games. Maybe spending less energy overall and being allowed to focus solely as a rim protector made his job a lot easier
That Fox quote about his ability to guard being "Not normal" is hilarious.
Like, he's not saying it's good or even great... It's borderline X-Files.
Definitely was thinking the same thing last night. Keon just has the full package of IQ, effort, reflexes, and freaky anticipation.
I'm sure Kevin will get his starting spot back this season, but I don't think it's a stretch to think Keon may end up getting more minutes/finishing more games by the end of the season. His impact is undeniable.
Like, he's not saying it's good or even great... It's borderline X-Files.
Definitely was thinking the same thing last night. Keon just has the full package of IQ, effort, reflexes, and freaky anticipation.
I'm sure Kevin will get his starting spot back this season, but I don't think it's a stretch to think Keon may end up getting more minutes/finishing more games by the end of the season. His impact is undeniable.
