Why Kings’ Ellis reminds DeRozan of former Bulls teammate Caruso originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
DeMar DeRozan liked what he saw from his teammate Keon Ellis during Kings training camp.
Ellis, entering his third NBA season, is known for his defensive prowess. But at his peak, Ellis is a do-it-all player who can knock down open looks while serving as a two-way connector.
DeRozan spoke to reporters Saturday about Ellis’ promise and who the young guard reminds him of.
“The young man (Ellis) is unbelievable,” DeRozan (along with Deuce Mason and Morgan Ragan) said. “I remembered him a lot from last year – defensively, the things he did. But being out there with him and seeing his awareness, especially on the defensive end, is really amazing. The way he shot the ball is truly incredible.
“He reminds me of one of those Alex Caruso kind of guy. He’s the type of player you want to have on your team: uncompromising, go out there, do all the dirty work and get down and dirty defensivelywithout fail.”
Caruso, currently with the Oklahoma City Thunder, is known for his versatility and high floor. At worst, he’s an All-NBA defender, a high-IQ facilitator and a confident finisher, which, as DeRozan said of Ellis, are traits that all 30 NBA teams largely desire.
And Caruso, of course, was DeRozan’s teammate with the Chicago Bulls between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 seasons.
Ellis is arguably at Caruso’s complete level; DeRozan believes him. The pair of guards each averaged 12.6 points per 36 minutes last season, and Ellis led the NBA with 3.7 turnovers per game. He was also fourth in steals with 1.7.
The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship thanks in large part to Caruso’s ability to fill the voids around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Sacramento would like to see Ellis contribute similarly around Kings stars De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and DeRozan.
