Mike Brown says Keon Ellis in Kings starting unit to start camp
- Thread starter Tetsujin
- Start date
Smart. I think if we hadn't added DDR, this would be a much bigger discussion. But Keon with the first unit just makes way too much sense
Keep in mind that there's an explicit acknowledgment here that Huerter is hurt - so there's no guarantee that when Kevin is back that Keon won't get pushed back and come off the bench.
I'd be really surprised if that were the case. As a defensive minded head coach, Brown had to love the improvement of the team defense when Keon was elevated to a starter. Not to mention, the Kings bench only had one player that averaged over 10 ppg in Malik. And when Monk didn't have it going, the 2nd unit really struggled. Huerter's shooting and playmaking seems ideal to help bolster the bench.
sactowndog
All-Star
this post seems obvious. Given the other players in line-up Keon is the perfect fit for that spot unless for some reason he loses his ability to catch and shoot which I doubt. Hopefully Keegan can regain his catch and shoot form and both will be a nice pairing with DDR, Fox and Sabonis.
after years of complaining about fit I really like the fit of the Kings starting 5 minus the lack of rim protection.
We'll see how Keegan operates as a full time 4 but there's a lot of chatter that Kevin is bulking up to play more 3 this year, so that would clearly be an off the bench move given DDR and Keegan are both better suited to that spot.
Caccia
Starter
We'll see. The starters frequently had a problem getting going at the start of the game or the start of the second half the past two years. I would not judge the success of this lineup until the beginning of December, however.
NewArena
All-Star
Maybe, but i honestly don't think coach is a huge Kevin fan these days.
LoungeLizard
Starter
Who are you and what have you done with sactowndog?
iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
Buff Kev can beef up our second unit, start the defensive Ace. I wonder if Keon has gained any weight, it might have just been the angle but he looked a bit more swole at media day
sactowndog
All-Star
Who are you and what have you done with sactowndog?
our what happened to Monte and who is this guy thinking about fit?
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
We might finally get to see the real Keegan this year. He also said something about playing closer to the rim on offense like he did in college. No more guards switching and not paying for it hopefully.
BenchMob
Bench
I noticed the same thing
sactowndog
All-Star
Hope he didn’t loose any quickness with that size and his stamina is improved.
I do think part of his offensive "struggle" last year with his shooting was tied to him playing PoA defense on the Steph/Mitchell types for a good chunk of the year until Keon joined the rotation. Which I think is a huge huge benefit of getting Keon into a 28+ MPG role if that gets us back the lights out shooter version of Keegan.
Keegan will very likely still be taking on the more difficult frontcourt matchup on defense but just not having to chase guards around will be big. And having two versatile, switchable defenders who are also great outside shooters is about the best way to fill out a lineup between DeRozan, Sabonis, and Fox. Ideally you'd want some weakside rim protection too, but beyond that this is maybe the most balanced starting five the Kings have had since the glory days with Bibby, Christie, Peja, Webber, and Vlade.
Yeah. Pretty much every data point (and our eyes) pointed to Keegan being an elite defender last season. I think we sneakily have 2 upcoming defensive stars with him and Keon ascending. And if Carter is who we think, that'll give us 3 incredible defensive weapons to put around our offensive hubs.
I don't have any data outside of just a hunch though, but I also think that rim protection is somewhat overrated in today's game? Like I almost think that just having guys who can defend in space and switch is far more important now. Ball-handlers are just too good at finishing at the rim now where even generational rim protectors like Rudy Gobert sometimes just struggle to keep up.
I also point to our finish last season defensively where we were third in defensive rating for 20+ games. With just basically adding Keon to the mix. And it's not like Domas all of a sudden became an elite rim protector during that span, so it is very possible to be good defensively without that rim force. One thing Domas DOES do very well defensively is he can move his feet and I think he actually is pretty good in space.
At least according to D-Lebron and D-EPM, DeRozan was also a better defender than Barnes last season. I mean, that's obviously a low bar, but a lot of the questioning around the trade for DDR focused on spacing (understandable) but also on defense, which never made much sense to me. DeMar isn't a good defenders, but Barnes was low key awful last season.
Keon if he keeps up and he builds on what he has done last season he will be hard to keep out of the starting lineup.
Saying that Kevin is an nba starting caliber player and if he comes back stronger and has more catch and shoot which should bring back his 3 point % to where it has been before he would be hard to see him playing less than 25 minutes each night.
We will know more around t
Saying that Kevin is an nba starting caliber player and if he comes back stronger and has more catch and shoot which should bring back his 3 point % to where it has been before he would be hard to see him playing less than 25 minutes each night.
We will know more around t
Yeah, people who claimed that HB was still a solid "3andD" defender didn't watch him last season and even the year prior. He's just not a starting caliber defensive player anymore. His lateral quickness is basically just gone and he really struggled with staying in front all year.
Malik essentially WAS the Kings bench last season. When he didn't have it going the 2nd unit REALLY struggled. Monk scored nearly half the Kings' bench points last season and nobody else even averaged double digit points - Lyles was the next highest scorer at 7.2 ppg. Nobody else even averaged 6 ppg. Even with Huerter potentially playing a reserver role, moving Keon to the bench so Monk could start would make a weak point even weaker. I just don't think the gains outweigh the downside.
I think the right way to view this is that Mike Brown knows Malik's scoring and playmaking are too invaluable to the bench unit to move him into a starting lineup that already has plenty of both. Not to mention, Monk will very likely finish most games he plays in.
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Caccia
Starter
I trust Mike Brown would not put it quite that way--if Monk does not come off the bench, we're sunk--but the way the team cratered at the end of last season once Monk was injured, and missed out on the playoffs, supports your point.
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