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Position battles are a time honored tradition of almost every NBA training camp. The Kings spurned this idea last season when they returned the same starting five from the previous year, although there was an awkward 24 hours when Chris Duarte started a preseason game over Kevin Huerter. Duarte quickly ended the debate when he injured his knee and missed the remainder of preseason.
Huerter’s starting shooting guard spot might be up for debate again this year after the veteran struggled last year and then missed the final 15 games of the season with a shoulder injury.
Complicating the matter more is that Huerter’s torn labrum required surgery and he is still awaiting clearance to return to full contact. That will come in mid-October, but he’ll likely have a ramp up period and may or may not be ready for the season opener on October 24 when the Kings play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With Huerter on the shelf, second-year guard Keon Ellis stepped into the starting lineup and turned heads with both his defensive abilities and stellar perimeter shooting.
Ellis, who went undrafted in 2022 and began last season on a two-way contract, spent plenty of time this summer in Sacramento working with the training staff. He has already been tabbed as the short-term starter during training camp by Brown, although the Kings’ coach gave a more comprehensive answer to this question on Tuesday.
“Right now, Keon has a shot, but that’s mainly because Kevin is out and as time goes on, it will work itself out,” Brown said during Tuesday’s first day of training camp. “So I’m not necessarily concerned about it. Keon is there right now, but that, for sure, can change.”
An open competition is good. You want everyone to feel like the best option won and that might be the most important distinction. The Kings don’t just have one or two options at the shooting guard position. They have a minimum of three, including star sixth man Malik Monk.
While Monk has been clear that he would love to step into the starting lineup, Brown has kept the dynamic scorer with the second unit the last two seasons and he continued to give his reasoning for that decision.
“To be able to have the luxury of having that pop come off the bench is something that every team dreams of,” Brown said. “And we’re fortunate to be able to have that luxury. At the end of the day, a lot of times, shoot, just in life, it’s not about who starts stuff, but who finishes.”
Brown cited his experience working with two former star sixth men in Manu Ginobili with the Spurs and Andre Iguodala during his time in Golden State and how they were used by their head coaches, Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr.
“Manu came off the bench behind a guy in Bruce Bowen that’s a career six point (per game scorer)...I think I might be giving him a little bit of bonus, but he averaged six points per game for his entire career,” Brown said. “Not a single person in this room, including myself, that would say that ‘I would take Bruce over Manu’. But Bruce started and Manu came off the bench because that’s what gave the team pop.”
Brown went on to say that this combination, with Ginobili coming off the bench, is what gave the Spurs a tremendous advantage over other teams and helped them win four championship rings.
It might not be what Monk wants, deep down, but he’s always been clear that he will do what’s best for the team when it comes down to it. We should also note that multiple times last season, Brown compared Ellis and his ability to get through screens to Bowen.
Ellis has shown incredible instincts as a defender. With the addition of DeMar DeRozan to the starting lineup, the Kings are loaded with offensive weapons, which might also give Ellis a leg up on the competition.
“We put a lot of pressure on Fox, especially at the beginning of games,” Brown said. “That’s where a guy like Keon can step in. And that’s where he’s going to have a chance to step in. You have a guy like that, who, in my opinion, for as young as he is, navigates the pick-and-roll game extremely well.”
Like Brown, Fox praised Ellis’s ability to navigate in the pick-and-roll. Fox specifically pointed out how Ellis can go under on a screen and still recover to make a play.
“Even in his first year, you could see that he just knows how to play defense and he creates that spark for us, especially in the starting lineup right now,” Fox said.
Ellis has shown the ability to defend both guard positions and he isn’t afraid to take on the big cover. His presence in the starting lineup allows Fox to focus more of his energy on the offensive side of the ball. It also gives Fox an opportunity to be more aggressive in the passing lanes.
“He’s able to pressure the ball, he’s able to get deflections if he’s not on the ball, he communicates really well, he just has great instincts, defensively,” Fox said.
While Ellis earned his way onto the court with his energy and defensive pressure, he is more than just a stopper. The 24-year-old shot 41.7 percent from 3-point range on 2.9 attempts per game last season, including a career-best eight long range makes against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 9.
“He shoots the ball extremely well, that’s one thing that I don’t think people give him credit for,” Fox said of Ellis. “I mean, he’s a 40 percent, shooting like four a game. Obviously, when you’re shooting seven or eight, you’re an elite shooter, but his percentage is elite.”
The Kings asked Ellis to report for Summer League duties during the offseason, but with the hopes of allowing him to expand his offensive game. With the addition of DeRozan, to pair with Fox, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings are loaded offensively and having a low usage 3-and-D wing might make a lot of sense in the starting lineup.
For now, Ellis isn’t taking anything for granted. He learned that lesson on draft night when his name wasn’t called and he worked tirelessly to earn his spot on the main roster and then rotation.
“I haven’t heard anything, honestly, but I’m open to anything and whatever it is to help the team win and look good, I’m definitely down to do,” Ellis said during Monday’s media day. “Whether it be starting, off bench, whatever -- I’m ready for it.”
As for Huerter, there is still a shot for him to not only get healthy in time for the season, but to regain his starting position. He’s started 134 games over the last two seasons for the Kings and the team is 78-56 in those games.
If he can regain the confidence and shooting stroke that he showed during the 2022-23 season, he’ll be tough to keep off the court. Either way, the Kings not only have depth at the shooting guard position, but quality depth. This is a good problem for Brown and his staff as Sacramento looks to get back to the playoffs after coming up just short last season.
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