Should the Sacramento Kings Make Keon Ellis a Permanent Starter? | Locked On Kings

Should the Sacramento Kings Make Keon Ellis a Permanent Starter? | Locked On Kings

I am all in on the Sacramento Kings making Keon Ellis a permanent starter even if head coach Mike Brown isn’t quite there yet Brendan Nunes of the Kings plls podcast and Sack toown Sports 1140 joins me on today’s show to discuss Keon starting and the Kings simplifying things on both the offensive and

Defensive side of the ball and how that’s led to their recent success it’s all right here on locked on Kings you are locked on Kings your daily Sacramento Kings podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and now ladies and gentlemen it is that time time for another episode

Of Locked on Kings hello and welcome into lockon Kings your podcast hub for Sacramento Kings coverage all season long today’s episode is brought to you by prize picks the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports go to prs.com loock on NBA and use code all lowercase

Locked on NBA for first deposit match up to $100 my name is Matt George I have the privilege of being your host here I’m a Sacramento Sports Anchor and reporter for abc10 news and I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Brendan Nunes over the past handful of Seasons

That he’s begun uh covering the Sacramento Kings Brendan is a unbelievably bright basketball mind has a great feel for what the Kings uh kings are doing uh and has become a a good friend too just talking Hoops playing video games together and and trying to figure out

This Kings team as best as we possibly can so I thought who better to have on to talk about what’s been going on Brendan has a great mind for X’s and O’s so we’re going to get into the weeds a little bit about what the kings are

Doing uh strategically on the floor and what they did over those over those back-to-back wins against the Bucks and the Lakers and how they can hopefully carry that into the remainder of the Season plus the very end we even have a conversation about Malik Monk and his

King’s future a lot of great stuff so I hope you enjoy right here on lockon Kings I’m lucky enough to have stolen a man of many podcast Brendan Nunes of King’s pulse Kings beat Return of the Roar of course you cover uh the Sacramento Kings for Sactown Sports 1140

Fresh off of Kings practice I got you here in the abc1 studios to talk a little bit because we have a two-day lull in between a really good back-to-back for Sacramento and then a big game against the Knicks on Saturday but like I said you came from King’s

Practice at the golden one Center anything of Interest anything of value that we should know about yeah thanks for having me Matt you’re just a little nicer than me you know I I I’ll try to keep up next time TV it’s TV I miss these days I was just getting up and

Wearing what I want to wear I yeah this wasn’t the plan you know so I could have dressed a little nicer but thanks for having me great um yeah King’s practice there was first of all injury updates Malik monk fine strained his neck in that middle of that last game ended up

Playing through it he was fine full participant today Keegan Murray full participant after that ankle injury and Kevin herder was a full participant as well he said that you know the two days really did him a favor here that maybe if it was just one day he would have

Been unsure but he’s feeling good and optimistic going into the Knicks game um Trey lyes did not participate he and same with Sasha venkov who’s been out for a little while here Trey did after the fact after practice uh concluded went out there got some shots up by

Himself but he’s not even elevating off the floor it’s all you know groundbased and it was very quick that he was out there sleeve on his leg so I’m uh you know not expecting Trey to be out there tomorrow but that’s pretty much the extent of it I thought there was some

Good stuff from Kevin herder we got Kevin herder ke Murray and Coach obviously um but Kevin Duce Mason asked him about you know are you getting better at dealing with slumps mentally and I thought Kevin was very transparent with saying that you know there were some moments earlier in the year that

Maybe he didn’t handle that the best and it’s still a work in progress I think Kev Kevin’s gone through a roller coaster of a season not just with his consistency issues but I have to imagine mentally too going back to being mini replaced by Chris DTE during training

Camp and then he was replaced by Chris dwarte again over the course of the season and now he’s probably not going to like if he ever hears this he’s not going to like what I have to say because I’m firmly in the camp of I think Keon

Ellis should be the starter for this Kings team I just I’ve seen enough to the impact that he’s made but Mike Brown has has made it pretty much clear that if Kevin herder is good to go that Kevin herder is going to start I understand that I don’t I’m not going to throw

Necessarily a fit about it even if I disagree with it but where are you at with that do you think if Kevin’s back keep him in there keep it how it’s been basically the last two years or not Keon’s done enough Let’s uh let’s see it fulltime yeah I’ve been a little

Surprised by Keon like I was a I’m a big Keon guy I was at the time of the draft and throughout the course of last year but I’ve been surprised these last two games how like poised he looks he looks like a vet out there at times and

There’s still little stuff that’s a learning curve of you know maybe being a little handsy with Dame and he’s going to get you on some uh some baiting fouls sort of thing so there’s still some learning curves but I I think he’s been really poised on both ends of the floor

He’s a good three-point shooter I think he’s legitimately a very good three-point shooter he was upwards of 40% in the G League last year successful with that at Alabama I think he’s shown that during his handful of games of Sacramento this year but I have been a

Little surprised I mean you asked coach pretty transparently the idea of or will you play with the idea of putting Keegan in that starting lineup and he was very blunt and saying no Y and I think there’s an aspect of it’s the same thing he says with Malik pretty much that we

Like what we have with that starting group and if we feel like we need to mess with it throughout the course of the game we can bring some of these bench pieces in and alter it so he thinks you know we can still get Keon to

20 25 minutes a night if that game justifies that sort of minute load for him and I think with Kevin like we’re talking about there is a mental aspect of this for sure and I think that you don’t want to mess with that too much I do think that that

Starting unit is been pretty successful for the king and there have been the defensive questions with Kevin but offensively I think he’s still I think people it’s easy to overlook while focusing on these flaws which is understandable but he’s a damn near perfect offensive fit complimentary piece with Fox and sabonis moves really

Well spaces the floor shoots well even when the shots not going down he still has that respect from defenses and is still going to be guarded and provide that spacing and I just I do think there’s an aspect here if you don’t want to mess with his head more I understand

That and I think I mean consistent locked on Kings listeners are going to call me a bit of a turn coat here because earlier on in the season when there were questions about Duarte replacing Kevin I was fully on the stick with Kevin Ride with Kevin I agree with

You I think on paper offensively there is not much of a better fit especially with Mike getting back to the Kings playing the way they want to play which is paint touches and spray threes in theory spraying the ball to an open Kevin herder is one of the best options

That you can have with this king’s offense so I understand that completely I think where I’m having issues with Mike right now is with his inconsistencies because he’s tried this before already this season he’s tried to move Kevin out of the starting lineup and plug in Duarte it didn’t work so he

Went back to Kevin we haven’t seen him try Keon in the place of of Kevin when Kevin’s healthy it was a it was a necessity every single time Keon has started it’s been out of necessity for full transparency if he were to be the full-time starter for the remainder of

The season I know the Kings aren’t going undefeated in fact they could lose to the Knicks and suddenly that perfect record is gone that’s fine that record doesn’t mean too much to me what I’m seeing from Keon is he is delivering and more importantly the kings are starting

Games consistently with Keon the way that Mike Brown has been preaching he wants this team to play consistently Keon is giving you or a a big part of the king’s giving you what you’ve wanted right now you’re hesitant maybe it’s because it’s so much later in the season

Now you’re hesitant to move Kevin herder out when you’ve already tried to do it before that inconsistency just I I it’s hard for me to get past that I understand it don’t want to mess with Kevin’s confidence of course and like I said Kevin’s been through it this season

But if if this is the type of basketball you’ve wanted to play all season now you’re getting it with the playoffs right around the corner this is when you want to ramp up stick with it I think is where I’m at yeah and I think that’s understandable um I think that the part

You said in there that stood out to me though that I agree with is that it is very late in the season and that’s what makes it I think potentially a little tough and the other thing I’ll add with Kevin is the spacing that we talked

About is more valuable with dear and L on the floor because those guys are able to find him you know if you’re talking a bench unit where a lot of times Kevin’s coming out of the game and dear at the same time and you’re rolling with Davon

Malik and fox or Davon Malik and Keon for a little while in these in these last few games and it’s like I guess that could be Keon but davon’s not as good at setting up Kevin as as dearen would be I think that he is more beneficial alongside the starters than

He could be alongside reserves and maybe that’s a cop out here but um yeah I do think it being later in the season plays A Part here and I’m I’m still unsure that like I said Keon looks poised he looks like a vet I’m not convinced that

There won’t be LS in Keon’s performance whether it be those fouls where you know he has three turn or three steals in these in this last game I think he also had four fouls as well in his minutes out there and also offensively like bringing the ball up the floor can be a

Little bit of question sometimes we’ve seen that earlier in the year so I’m not convinced there won’t be some up and down still with Keon as we go here but he could continue to prove me wrong like I said at the top of the show today’s

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Basketball or following football baseball whatever it may be so go to prize.com lockon NBA and use code lockon NBA for a first deposit match up to $100 prize picks pick more pick less it’s that easy I’ve really appreciated over the last two years of Mike Brown being here

That he is open to your disagreeing with him not you but our disagreeing with him and ask him about that and he’ll give his explanations and he’ll always follow it up with you can criticize or if it’s wrong I’ll happily take the blame but

This is the way I think to do it and look Mike is far more Justified or far more um validated as a basketball tactician than I am so trust him over trusting me certainly I really enjoyed over the last couple years watching your relationship with Mike as well because

You and you did this on King’s pulse a lot and do this on King’s pulse a lot you you have a very kind of exis and O’s what’s happening like on the clipboard to the floor and and in the in film sessions to the floor and you ask Mike

And talk with Mike a lot one of the things I wanted to ask you about is he seems to have really discovered something in the month of March really since the All-Star break which is three guard lineups any combination of fox of Monk sometimes Kevin herder but also

Getting impact out of Keon and Davon off the bench at the same time from like an x’s and O standpoint the ation you’ve had with Mike just what you’re seeing with your basketball eye what is it about that three guard lineup and the different combinations of undersized guards that’s working yeah I think

Defensively specifically you roll those three guys out or any combination of the three that you mentioned and it’s funny like Kevin should qualify for three guard lineups but honestly when I talk about three guard lineups I typically don’t include him he’s six seven like more of like a wing I guess which is

Maybe yeah I mean he’s a shooting guard in a way but I technically don’t quite put them in there but yeah if we’re talking about the other any combination of the other four Fox Davon Malik and Keon I think that between those three that are out there defensively it does

Give you some switchability all of those guys are very similar sized and they all fight and they play defense differently all of them you know Fox is a good combination of physical and handsy but also you know he can’t do that all game long is just the realistic standpoint of

Where he’s at now I think eventually he will be able to work closer to that point but right now it’s kind of flip switch are you going to get de totally locked in or is he going to be a little bit more LAX phical defensively which is

Why it’s valuable to have in my mind Davon and Keon out there with him and and davon’s a very physical Defender Keon is more active hands and so there’s different styles and best players you want to keep them on their toes switch up who’s out there I think defensively

It helps with the switching a lot in the perimeter defense you know there’s guys are going to get past players it’s just how it works but make him change directions one time make it not a just straight line drive which I think we’ve seen throughout the of this year and

Offensively is probably the biggest surprise and I think why they’ve been able to get away in a way with this lineup recently is that Davon shooting the ball extremely well he’s above 40% from the corners so far this year on not great volume but it’s it’s a credit to

Him I feel like his shots looked better recently and we mentioned Keon being a really good shooter as well and I think that the other aspect of Davon has been it really feels like since that Minnesota game where dear was out where they told Davon we need you to be more

Aggressive offensively and he’s so fast man very quick like very very quick with the ball I remember Jerry Reynolds when Davon got drafted loved him because he was like he can stay in front of you and you can’t stay in front of him and there

Is value in that and I think he’s been more aggressive and decisive there’s so much talk about these spray threes and it’s not just you know fox or Malik breaking their guy off the dribble and then spraying out it’s if that gets kicked out to a shooter attack the close

Out and then make another play from there and I think having those multiple guards out there helps you do that building off that too like it’s with with those lineups specifically with Keon and Davon you can have them both on the floor at the same time which we’ve

Seen But plugging one of those guys in we’re still talking about one guy out of five so even if like Davon the other night against Los Angeles didn’t have a great scoring night Mike Brown praised him a ton for what you just talked about which is the spray threes but it’s not

Like Davon was shooting the ball and scoring at the rate that he has been but you’re putting him out there with a Malik or a fox sabonis is probably still out there to some extent you have Shooters Harrison Barnes you have Keegan Murray so what I like about these three

Guard lineups too is he’s staggering them with your wings and your bigs that are still such a fundamental impactful part of your scoring game that even if davon’s not going to do all the scoring all the time it’s not like how it it felt like at times where if Davon was on

The floor and he wasn’t scoring you’re getting nothing out of him now davon’s on the floor sometimes he’s scoring maybe he’s not but he’s surrounded by other offensive players to where it it’s not so detrimental to Sacramento if the ball if he specifically is not scoring or he’s specifically not a scoring

Threat that’s what I think Mike has done a really good job of he has his rotations and he sticks to them it still blows my mind that dearen fox is the first guy subbed out for the Kings every single game or almost every single game

That seems so weird to sub your star out first but that’s been Mike’s rotation he’s stuck to it pretty much over two years a lot of that is because of how he sets himself up on the back end towards the end of games for fourth quarter Fox

But for Mike to continue with these rotations but have found a way to stagger in these guards that aren’t necessarily known for offense but might be able to give you some I think it’s a credit to him he’s unlocked something and and I’m glad he’s figuring it out

With enough time to Workshop it before we get to the postseason yeah Dom’s playmaking is great but I think it’s different and a little more valuable in a way I I guess it’s important to have both but a guard playmaker a guy that can again break his guy down on the

Perimeter and sort of collapse the defense from there and make plays now domas has his ways of doing it but I think it’s important to have a guard out there as well and you know you see domas is two M chemistry with nearly everybody on the team but really the guys that are

Good Playmakers specifically and I think part of subbing fox out quickly is it helps that Malik goes back in at that same time and then you get to stagger Fox and sabonis you know and typically you want another playmaker out there with those guys as we’re talking about

So the moments that sabonis is not it is helpful to have a Davon have a Keon now I still think that you could do better playmaking wise if we’re talking long-term roster construction I think it’s you know it’s the reality for this season and they’re in a fine spot in

That aspect but I do think that those guys give you a bit more when it comes to playmaking and you know one two dribbles and trying to keep it swinging but I don’t necessarily say that that’s a strength of theirs either it just is compared to the other options I agree

And it it’s it’s feels less tunnel vision too to where when it was the Golden State Warriors they knew it was either sabonis fox or Malik that were going to initiate and so and very rarely all all three of them on the floor at

The same time one of them I think has to be on the floor at all times typically you’ll get a combination of two two of them and you would see the warriors hyperfocus on not allowing sabonis to initiate the offense with the dribble handoff game or they would they tried to

Limit Malik monk getting downhill with the addition now of just a little extra playmaking from a Keon or specifically a Davon that we’ve been seeing as of late even if one out of every three or four possessions you can take some of the pressure off of the main Playmakers and give the defense

Something different to look at keep them guessing a little bit it’s amazing how something that you’d think is that small davon’s not coming in and taking over the offense but just adding that element can open up so much just by having a little variety yeah I think it’s

Decisiveness it’s one of those main guys Malik um dear or domas is going to create an initial Advantage it’s about maintaining that Advantage you know Tre ly when he first got brought to the Kings one of his big knocks was the pump fakes yep right and now it’s a

Decisiveness it’s okay if I do take that pump I’m going to go right after or I’m just going to shoot it instantly and not hesitate or just drive right away and maintain that advantage and I think those guards are really good at that and again long term I actually think this is

A big potential development in swing skill for keegin I I think it’s important that he gets to the point where you know we see him taking one two dribbles and kind of taking that mid-range but doing that and then spraying out to Shooters like they clearly really emphasize I think is

You’ve seen little flashes here and there but it’s definitely still flashes right now and I think long term since the core really in my mind is Fox Murray and sabonis and you know Malik kind of On The Fringe of that well TBD with this offseason obviously but I think that’s a

Potential big development for Keegan down the line too A lot of the listeners might be thinking that this is kind of complicated and I I bring that up because we’re summing it up as best as we possibly can there are much smarter basketball people in in the Kings

Organization that are making this even easier to understand or that add another level to this that even we are trying to comprehend that being said I feel like what has gone so well for Sacramento over these past two games is Mike has simplified things a ton he’s focused

Back on a pillar of his offense which is the paint touches and spray threes which has opened up the offense again the kings are knocking down shots again at the rate we expect them to with the amount of Shooters they have and then defensively something as simple as high

Five Closeouts for for three-point shots which is a fundamental defensive practice that you learn in high school if not earlier right just basically how to close out effectively against a three-point shot Mike and the Kings have reemphasized that in practice that’s not inside scoop Mike has told us this

They’re reemphasizing it and over these past two games the Closeouts have been better than we’ve seen pretty much all season yes teams still have to miss but I think think just putting it in a Shooter’s mind that there is going to be a six anywhere between a 6 foot to a a

69 guy that’s running at you full speed to kind of close out and contest even if it’s an open shot that mentally kind of throws you off a little bit teams seem to always come into the golden one Center and shoot well against Sacramento that hasn’t been the case these last two

Games and what I can point to is the kings are fundamentally closing out differently and simplifying things and they’re winning basketball games because of it yeah players shooting in Golden One Anthony Edwards has talked about it there was a practice earlier this year when Indiana came into town and kind of

Waiting for Tyrese and I over hear uh jerus Walker Indiana’s rookie being like man I just love this gym I’m like gosh what is it it I don’t know if it’s sight lines or what it is it probably helps that teams come in knowing that the Kings allow the highest three-point

Percentage like you mentioned it’s different when you know that pressure is going to be there right and hopefully these last few games are a trend in the right direction the Lakers still made a lot of triples a lot of that was Austin Reed specifically in that first quarter

Um but the Milwaukee game was maybe some of their best Closeouts as well and they’re finding the balance of defending the paint and the three-point line like managing to do both against two teams that were really succeeding offensively post All-Star break in Milwaukee and the Lakers I think were really impressive

Performances and a lot of that has to do with physicality there’s the Closeouts as well that you mentioned to the point where you know they’re drilling these tiny details that um I think typically wouldn’t happen necessarily on a on most NBA teams but they’re just trying to

Make sure that they clean that up since it’s very clearly a weakness for them um and that physicality I mentioned is a big part as well and definitely will be against the Knicks I kind of asked Mike Brown about it today because they fouled a lot these last two games the Kings but

Successful defensive performances while doing that and Mike was saying yeah we have to tone that down but I’d rather start at a point where the energy level’s there and we have to rain it down physicality wise compared to trying to create it when it doesn’t even you

Know there’s not a Baseline to work with do they have to tone it down or do do does do officials just have to get used to that is how the Sacramento Kings are going to try and play because if if the tradeoff is the kings are playing this

Physical and active defense for the rest of this season but they’re sending teams to the foul line as much as they have the Lakers and and Bucks which by the way is Giannis and LeBron they’re going to get the line anyway but if that’s the trade-off then I’ll make that trade

Until those free throws really start to kill you and at some point they will if you’re having like a 33 to 12 free throw Advantage for the other team at some point that’s going to really you’re going to lose a game because of that thankfully it hasn’t happened over these

Two games but I’m with you if you’re I’d much rather dial it back set the tone physical and dial it back than try and ramp up out of the fear of getting into foul trouble and I also think like de’arra Fox pointed this out after the

The Lakers game like when the kings are playing physical refs are quick to whistle but teams are playing physical against Sacramento Heaven God forbid like damont sabonis gets hit in the face every sing game now he initiates a lot of contact so that’s why officials kind

Of expect it and maybe Let It Go but I think also the officials have to get used to okay the kings are going to consistently try and play a physical brand of Defense now we’re not going to call every Ticky Tac foul because we know this is how they’re establishing it

I think it almost takes like a a dear or a captain before the game going up to the officials and going yo like we’re playing physical tonight just just call a foul which you think is a foul but just letting you know like we’re intentionally trying to play this way so

You don’t have to be so Ticky Tech yeah and I think it’ll show in the postseason for sure I think that’s one of the things they really learned in the playoffs last year is that dang we can get away with a lot when it comes to fouls that was a physical series

Absolutely um so I think that they are just like working up towards the postseason and I think that’s been a lot of this year but there have definitely been some comments about the refs um today as well for Mike but you mentioned like dearn said that you know they can

Say they’re not whistling it any different but they clearly are clearly are he said we can sit here and lie all day basically said if if you say they’re not doing it you’re a liar all right and yeah Chris Watkins pointed out to me the other day that like the free throw

Numbers post allar break are down significantly I think I could have these numbers slightly wrong but it’s something like 45 attempts on average in the league per game uh pre- allar and down to like 40 post and then there’s the dearen comments and today at practice coach says I asked him about

The physicality and you know he said something along the lines of like we’d like the same whistle and you know not going to go tweet those out cuz I’m not trying to get anybody find but there’s definitely an aspect of that going on here um and you know I think it’s just

Little stuff of yes they will the refs will get more used to this level of physicality I think of Minnesota last year they’re a team that fouled a lot and just junked up the game you know they they tried everything they could with a subpar defensive roster to just

Throw off the other Rhythm whether that meant being physical and if that means you’re sent getting sent to the line more than the league average then so be it so I I do think that that is kind of how Sacramento approaching it but it’s little things of like I mentioned with

Keon just pull your hands back at the last moment um the little bits of physicality Alex L gets called for a lot of moving screens um so I think little things like that could definitely be cleaned up and would help today’s episode of the locked on Kings podcast

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Good standing Robinhood Financial LLC member sipc is a registered broker dealer maybe the most important question it’s good that we’re saving it for the end brandan why should King’s fans hell even King’s media members I I have I have a good feeling about the New York Knicks game because that’s a playoff

Team a physical team you’re at home why should Kings fans feel confident that the way that the Kings have been playing over these last couple of games will carry into Memphis Toronto Washington why why should we believe that the Kings will not continue to do what they’ve

Been doing which is playing up against the Bucks and the Lakers in these big games but when it’s these very winnable games whether it’s at Homer on the road they just aren’t the same team yeah I mean I wish I could give people some confidence but I’m not very sure either

You know it’s funny I got asked earlier this morning about like oh if they win this niick game are you going to feel good I’m like you know as crazy as it sounds I’m kind of waiting for the Memphis game I agree to see how this

Goes and even after last game after that Lakers win Harrison Barnes got asked like do you feel like you guys have kind of turned a corner here and he was pretty quick to be like actually I feel like we’ve played well against good teams all year I don’t really feel like

That’s been our issue you know and he did acknowledge the back to back thing I think they started 0 and four on second nights I want to say they’re 5- one I believe at this point um so definitely bounce back from that tough start but

Yeah I mean I I I think that there definitely is an aspect of we don’t know what we’re going to get and I’d like to say that this is a I mean it is a good back-to-back it’s probably their most impressive two straight games in a year

And more often than not I think when they had given up less than 100 points that conceded 116 on average the night after um did pretty well against the Lakers two nights in a row so I’m optimistic but I can’t help but be like gosh are they just going to go back to

The same team it’s that’s I we’ve seen this it’s where we’re all at that’s where we’re all at and we’ve seen it enough especially this season but really over the last two seasons hell over the last 20 years we’ve seen it with this this Kings team regardless of who’s

Playing and who’s coaching there’s a very very very fine line between taking your opponents lightly or not being serious and understanding that you are the better team and you should be winning this game I think the significance of if the Kings handle these upcoming games the grizzly

Game the Washington game I think Toronto still is a is a tough matchup even without P without Pascal but and every single team is an NBA team so they’re going to give you challenges but there are opportunities here not only to pick up needed wins in this playoff race against weak Eastern Conference

Opponents there are chances to where if you play the right way Brennan it’s a short night for your main guys we’re talking fourth Quarters off for a lot of these I mean it’s been awesome to see Darin ham waved the white flag with like a minute and a half left Doc Rivers

Waved the right White Flag against with the bucks with like 6 and a half minutes left yeah and Mike kept his guys up there like Mike shut him down you don’t have to do this anymore I think there’s value here to handle your business and get your guys just a little bit extra

Rest so that they can go deep into the tank for hopefully a playoff run yeah and I think a big aspect of that is closing the first half right and starting the second well it’s something they did really well in that Milwaukee and LA games third quarters were

Phenomenal I want to say the Lakers had 20 21 points Milwaukee got held to 17 um so that’s an area they’ve struggled a lot in not only this season but years prior you can think back to the Kings just getting totally smacked in the third quarter dearen mentioned it you

Know in the years that he’s been here they have not been very good in that quarter but I think that that’s the big aspect because teams are going to go on runs that’s the nature of the NBA it doesn’t matter who you’re up against Washington Kyle kosma could make two

Threes and then Cory kissper hits one right after and and all of a sudden there’s a big swing you know so anybody can go on runs in the NBA it’s about limiting them though and not letting them extend to an entire quarter and putting your foot on their neck when you

Really have that lead and I think that we’ve seen the Kings do that better but if you can take care of those third quarters after you already have a good first half specifically end of the second half last two minutes or so and the start of the third that could help

You you know build up that lead to where guys can’t get rest in the fourth quarter which will be important because you need everybody healthy down the stretch I’ll sneak this question in before we wrap up too this is going to be a conversation that we’re going to be

Having a lot at the end of the season it’s going to be a major topic of conversation in postseason press conferences whenever that may be hopefully it’s after the kings are hoisting a championship we can all believe or we can all hope but see you at the parade yeah no kidding I downtown

Sacramento’s ready um how with each passing day we’re less than a month away from the end of the regular season we’re closer and closer and closer to the crossroads of Malik monk as a free agent mm I the more I watch Malik and I felt this way for a while but every single

Game Malik plays even the games where he struggles and is a little bit chaotic and goes a little bit crazy like I don’t know how the Kings can possibly replace him like they have to do in my opinion something completely different if they lose him I’m again conversation for

Another time but we’re kind of scratching the surface here what is your feeling or Just Vibe on this king’s team and how Allin they’re going to have to go to make sure bringing Malik back is number one priority I mean they don’t have really many options is the thing I

I believe it’s a fouryear 78 million deal that they could offer now if Malik was willing to bet on himself and take a one-year deal which I think would start around the 17 mil Mark then next year they could have his full bird rights and

Then go crazy with how much they want to offer him yeah I would be shocked Malik wanted to do that Malik talked about how he was almost out of the league previously obviously complications in Charlotte and early in the year there was a lot of compliments about Malik’s work ethic specifically this year

And I mean that’s got to be part of a contract year sure and I’m sure that he guys work ridiculously hard in contract years and I would imagine there’s a mental aspect of do I really want to do that again and so I’m hesitant to about the one-year idea but

I think that range is is fine for Malik it’s just will Orlando is the one that I really worry about Y come in they have upwards of I believe 30 million in cap space and offer 23 to Malik in a starting spot and does he care about

Starting it’s a big conversation I don’t really know personally I think closing games is more important maybe that if he wins six man of the year which he seems on track to that that could help you know encourage him that maybe this coming off the bench thing isn’t so bad

I you know did Lou Will and Jamal Williams or Crawford make it cool maybe Malik seems to fit in that mold but let let me ask you if you’re Orlando and you’re looking to throw 22 million at a at a guard right just hypothetical here and you have Klay

Thompson Demar de R rozan D’Angelo Russell and Malik monk who intrigues you the most it’s it’s D’Angelo Russell and I think de DLo and Malik monk are the top two and they have to be the top two specifically because I think that that team’s need for a primary ball handler

Which Malik has shown that he’s capable of being that like Malik here in Sacramento I think has opened everybody’s eyes up to he’s not necessarily a traditional point guard but he’s a playmaker and he’s a four General and that I think is what Orlando is missing plus we have seen firsthand

How good of a two-man Game Malik can run with basically any big in the league imagine a Malik monk Palo banero or a Malik monk FR France Vagner Twan game right forget about it like you’re you’re in good shape so if they have good defense to go around

You San ant is the other te I about a little bit but I think last time I checked their number they only can get up to about and I don’t know that you know a couple more million a year necessarily going to pull Malik away but there’s the drive of Victor wom minyama

And pop so that there’s going to be some situations but luckily not many teams have the money that can really go and take them away and and they might decide to go in other directions yeah you got to exploit the fox monk relationship you got to exploit the brown monk

Relationship I think that’s the bigger one to me weirdly like yeah yeah I I think I feel like the term best friend gets thrown around a lot for Fox and Malik and I get a little uncomfortable with that just because I don’t feel like we really know you know I know obviously

These guys spent College together they have a lot of on court chemistry that’s really obvious um but I don’t feel like we’ve ever gotten much transparency on like their off Court relationship and so I just question if that could be overblown a bit but I think we’ve definitely seen the relationship that he

Has with Mike and how that’s beneficial to both of them they both guys that tell you like it is they’re going to tell it to your face maybe not be the nicest with how they do it every time but know that they’re coming from the same spot

And neither are going to take it personally so I do wonder if that relation how much that relationship will play A Part here well I think if if the bag is what Malik wants I think that’s what Malik should Chase even if it means he’s not a Sacramento King and and I

Think yeah like circumstances can change but at this point it’s hard for me to imagine a scenario where I am upset at Malik monk for taking 22 million from Orlando versus the was a 17 and a half or whatever that he can he can take from the Sacramento Kings if that’s his

Motivation like his journey in the NBA like go and get that and I think everybody in Sacramento on the team would understand that just as much as hopefully the fans would so I have a hard time right now saying that I would be upset at Malik for leaving the

Sacramento Kings I’d be more upset at the Sacramento Kings for now being put in a really difficult spot to you just lost your third best player arguably your second most important player at times with how he he plays Off the Bench and you don’t have a lot of assets to

Figure out how to replace that or move on from that so like Malik has all the power all the power in this situation I’m sure that’s a that’s a welcome site for him and I just it’s a conversation for another day I’m gonna enjoy the rest

Of the season and the playoffs uh with him here but as soon as we get to those summer months man it’s going to be cold sweats every day thinking about the possibility of Malik being gone it’s going to be tough like you said replacing him is a would would be a tall

Task I guess you have that mle to work with and try to figure something out but it’s definitely an uphill battle that you there’s 30 minutes bud and and you know Orlando’s the one that worries me I think the other the other team that I know has money is Detroit not worried no

I I’d be shocked they’d have to bag him out like Monty Williams money you know um and even then he’s still second to Kate Cunningham so he’s yeah it’s not yeah yeah and I want to say the other one’s Utah which doesn’t really move the needle in my mind for him either so

Orlando’s the one that I’m watching with San Antonio as a fringe one as well back off magic yeah mon I agree he ours well you do an amazing job of course with all the different Outlets that I said that you do kings pulse Kings beat uh Return

Of the Roar all the work that you do for uh sack toown Sports 1140 so keep that up of course coverage over there and coverage from Brennan will continue to ramp up as we get to playoffs this will be not be the last time we have you on

So thank you for doing this my guy and we’ll see how they far tomorrow against the Knicks no problem and glad to do it if any listeners want to play uh League of Legends with Matt and I to throw that out there back trying to hit plat today

He got me back into it and it’s a bad addiction it has not been good it has not gone well to start not at all but that’s the legal leg expence reminding you why you undownloaded appreciate it brother thanks man

Matt George is joined by Kings Pulse podcast host and SacTown Sports 1140 Kings writer Brenden Nunes to discuss if Keon Ellis should be considered as the permanent Kings starting shooting guard.

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Should the Sacramento Kings Make Keon Ellis a Permanent Starter?
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