Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) handles the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Kings Guard Fits Houston Rockets Mold

Originally posted on Houston Rockets on SI
By Alec Elijah | Last updated May 30, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis will be heading into his third full season in the NBA during the 2025-26 campaign, and while his path has been a grind, he can certainly carve out a role with the young and defensive-minded Houston Rockets.

While Ellis is not known as one of the most elusive or high-scoring guards, he possesses the ability to defend the best guard on the floor, a trait that sometimes can outweigh offensive play. For a coach like Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, this is certainly the case.

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

As a 6-foot-4 guard, Ellis averaged 1.5 steals per game and 0.8 blocks. ESPN's Kevin Pelton also highlighted the guards abilities, stating, "Ellis averaged just 8.3 PPG this past season (a career high) but was quietly a favorite of advanced stats thanks to his 3-point shooting (43% on 5.9 attempts per 36 minutes) and strong stock rate (2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per 36)."

Ellis does have the capabilities to guard multiple positions on the floor, which certainly gives him an edge compared to some of the other guards that could be available this summer.

He will be on a team option for the Sacramento Kings worth $2.3 million, but the Kings will have until the end of June to decide whether or not to exercise this option.

The 25-year-old guard could certainly go for a bargain if his play continues to trend upwards as it has the past two seasons, and for a team like Houston that is just looking for pieces to fill the cracks of their already established young core this could be a great opportunity for the Rockets and Ellis.

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Ellis will be awaiting to see if his team option is exercised by the Kings, but if it is not and Ellis heads to restricted free agency, then I expect several teams, including the Houston Rockets, to be involved.

This article first appeared on Houston Rockets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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