Why Kings’ Ellis reminds DeRozan of ex-Bulls teammate Caruso originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
DeMar DeRozan has liked what he’s seen from teammate Keon Ellis during Kings training camp.
Ellis, who enters 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 told reporters Saturday about Ellis’ promise and who the young guard reminds him of.
“Young guy (Ellis) is amazing,” DeRozan said (h/t Deuce Mason and Morgan Ragan). “I remembered him last year a lot — defensively, things he was doing. But to be out there with him and to see his awareness, especially on the defensive end, is definitely amazing. The way he has been shooting the ball, definitely amazing.
“He reminds me of one of those Alex Caruso type of guys. That’s the type of player you want to have on your team — hard-nosed, go out there, do all of the dirty work and get down and dirty defensively, for sure.”
Caruso, currently with the Oklahoma City Thunder, is known for his versatility and high floor. At his worst, he is an All-NBA defender, high-IQ facilitator and confident finisher, which, as DeRozan said about 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 arguably is at Caruso’s well-rounded level; 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 also was fourth in steals with 1.7.
The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship largely due to Caruso’s ability to fill in the blanks 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.