Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) reacts after a foul is called on him against the Utah Jazz during the home opening game at Golden 1 Center on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Sacramento. Ellis played 12 minutes in the Kings’ 132-101 loss Friday night to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
pkitagaki@sacbee.com
Keon Ellis during his three seasons as a regular in the Sacramento Kings’ rotation has not been one to make a fuss about his minutes despite being one of the most discussed players by fans and local media.
“Because I know if I go out there, I do what I do,” Ellis said after Friday night’s 132-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in which he played just 12 minutes, all in the fourth quarter. “If I don’t go out there, it is what it is. I control what I can control.”
Ellis speaking in platitudes comes while his minutes are down following last season, when he led all Kings rotation players in net rating. He was second on the team in 3-point percentage (43%) behind only Zach LaVine while finishing second among all NBA players with 280 deflections. He rightfully earned a reputation as a premier defender, which Sacramento has lacked for years and years.
But Ellis has played fewer than 20 minutes in six of nine games this season and started just once while the Kings have been one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. They came into Friday’s game ranked 25th in defensive efficiency, 28th in deflections and 28th in contested shots allowed, all areas where Ellis has proven he could help.
Against the Thunder, he could have been given a shot against reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 30 points on and efficient 12-of-20 shooting and stayed on the bench in the fourth quarter.
“It’s a numbers game,” Kings coach Doug Christie said of Ellis’ minutes. “There’s a big log jam there. Night to night, it could be different. It’s not going to be any easier once you get Keegan (Murray) back. But this is a good problem to have. It’s one that hasn’t been here for a long time when you talk about wing players and the ability to have them. Keon’s a pro so I know he’ll be ready and prepared.”
Sacramento Kings coach Doug Christie calls a play during an Emirates NBA Cup in-season tournament game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden 1 Center on Friday. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com
Ellis’ decreased playing time has come while the Kings have made prominent additions to the roster in the back court. Dennis Schroder, a more natural point guard, was given a three-year, $44.4 million contract in the offseason, and former MVP Russell Westbrook has been arguably the team’s best player since his arrival just before the start of the regular season.
Westbrook on Friday paced Sacramento with 24 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds coming off of Wednesday’s triple-double in the victory against the Golden State Warriors. Schroder was also big in that game, scoring 18 points with seven assists.
But Schroder had his worst game with Sacramento against the Thunder. He went 0-for-10 from the floor and finished with just 2 points while he was a game-low minus-25 in his 25:07 on the floor.
And while Schroder’s individual numbers have been strong through Sacramento’s first nine games, the Kings have not been succeeding when he’s on the floor. After Friday, Sacramento has been outscored by 85 points in his 287 minutes. The Kings came in with a minus-9.9 net rating with him on the floor. Wednesday’s win over Golden State was the first time Sacramento outscored an opponent with him in the game. He was plus-3.
Ellis’ net rating, while working off the bench in all but one game, was minues-0.1 before Friday. He was minus-16 in his 12 fourth-quarter minutes on Friday as the deficit increased to as many as 34. Otherwise, the Kings have outscored opponents in Ellis’ minutes in four of nine games.
Ellis is in a contract year after the team picked up his $2.3 million team option over the summer. He’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the offseason. The Kings can sign him to a new contract at any point this season.
Schroder’s not the only Kings regular with uninspiring numbers. The Kings’ top four-player lineup heading into Friday of Schroder, LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis has been outscored by 67 points in 138 minutes, or 21.3 points per 100 possessions.
Ellis had no problem with not playing during the first 36 minutes on Friday, he said, when the Kings held their own in the first and third quarters. They took a 32-30 lead after the first and the Thunder had a 28-27 advantage in the third. The issue, however, was a second quarter in which Oklahoma City outscored Sacramento, 40-24.
“I mean, we were rolling,” Ellis said when asked how he felt about not getting in the game before the fourth quarter. “I’m big on if ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So they were rolling, so I didn’t think too much of it.”
Christie’s defense-first logic would indicate a change could be coming and Ellis’ defense could be more prominently in the mix, perhaps coming at the cost of one of the team’s regulars who have been given more minutes through the first nine games.
“For me, I think the correct rotation is going to be whoever plays defense,” Christie said. “That’s going to be the rotation. But it’s tough because all these guys have worked extremely hard. They’re good players. So that’s a tough one, but at the same time, that’s part of the job. So we will figure it out.”
Of course, the Kings have been without forward Keegan Murray who is arguably their best two-way player. Murray has been out with an injured left thumb while recently signing a landmark five-year, $140 million rookie extension. Murray is expected to get re-evaluated later this month, but the Kings have given no timetable for his return otherwise.
Sacramento on Friday was also without center Domantas Sabonis for a second straight game with a rib injury.
“It’ll be nice to get us all healthy so we can really get a good look at it,” Christie said. “But as of right now, we just have to figure it out.”
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Chris Biderman
The Sacramento Bee
Chris Biderman covered the 49ers from 2013 to 2021 and started with The Sacramento Bee in August 2018. He previously spent time with the Associated Press and USA Today Sports Media Group. A Santa Rosa native, he graduated with a degree in journalism from the Ohio State University.
