Why Kings’ Ellis reminds DeRozan of ex-Bulls teammate Caruso originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
DeMar DeRozan liked what he saw from a teammate Keon Ellis while Kings training camp.
Ellis, who is entering his third NBA season, is known for his defensive prowess. But at his peak, Ellis is a making player who can knock down open looks while serving as a two-way connector.
DeRozan told reporters Saturday about Ellis’ promise and who the young guard reminds him of.
“Young guy (Ellis) is awesome,” DeRozan said (h/t Deuce Mason and Morgan Ragan). “I remembered him last year a lot — defensively things he did. But being out there with him and seeing his awareness, especially on the defensive end, is definitely amazing. The way he shot the ball, definitely amazing.
“He reminds me of one of those Alex Caruso kind of guys That’s the type of player you want on your team — tough, go out there, do all the dirty work and get down and dirty defensivelysure.”
Caruso, currently with the Oklahoma City Thunder, is known for his versatility and high floor. At his worst, he’s an All-NBA defender, high-IQ facilitator and confident finisher, which, as DeRozan said of Ellis, are traits that all 30 NBA teams largely desire.
And Caruso, of course, was DeRozan’s Chicago Bulls teammate between the 2021-2022 and 2023-24 seasons.
Ellis is probably on the rounded level of Caruso; DeRozan believes so. The pair of guards each averaged 12.6 points per 36 minutes last season, and Ellis led the NBA with 3.7 deflections per game. He was also fourth in steals with 1.7.
The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship largely because of Caruso’s ability to fill the voids around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Sacramento would love to see Ellis contribute similarly around Kings stars De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and DeRozan.
