Boogie Ellis gives Kings game-changing, game-changing energy in victory

Boogie Ellis gives Kings game-changing, game-changing energy in victory originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO — Boogie Ellis wasn’t mad when he saw Bronny James get picked in the 2024 NBA Draft, even though Ellis had better college stats than his more infamous USC teammate.

Ellis was happy for James, but is definitely using the snub of not being drafted as motivation as he tries to establish himself with the Kings.

The 23-year-old guard took another step in that direction, scoring a game-high 17 points in 22 minutes to lead the Kings to an 85-59 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the California Classic at Golden 1 Center on Sunday.

“Trainer [Doug Christie] I said I wanted dogs, and I believe I’m a dog,” Ellis said after anchoring a defense that held the Spurs to a cool 22.5 percent shooting. “Just showing it, picking people up, being physical, talking, communicating. Just doing everything other people aren’t willing to do.”

In many ways, Ellis is a Swiss Army knife type of player. He can score from anywhere on the court, does a good job creating shots for himself and others, and has no problem selling himself on defense while trying to create as much damage as possible.

That was the same MO Ellis had at USC. During the 2022-23 season, he played in 29 games and averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and three assists while shooting nearly 42 percent from behind the arc.

By comparison, James averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 games, but was selected 55^th general by the Los Angeles Lakers with hopes of joining his iconic father to form the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA.

Ellis, meanwhile, went undrafted and ended up signing a free agent contract with the Kings, with nothing really concrete other than a summer league invite.

“I’m happy for [James] because this is one of my brothers. I’m glad he got the opportunity,” Ellis said. “But this is a business. Everyone is trying to feed their family. I definitely have a chip on my shoulder. I believe I’m a great basketball player and I’m better than a lot of guys who were drafted.

“At the end of the day I have to show my hard work and show what I do. I just keep working, keep my head down and keep working. It will be worth it.”

In his short tenure with the Kings, Ellis has already left a positive impression on his teammates and the coaching staff.

Colby Jones, who is trying to carve out a bigger role for himself, said Ellis has been impactful since signing with Sacramento.

“The way he’s playing, I’m not surprised,” Jones said. “I’m really happy to see him out there confident, hitting his stride for sure. He helped us a lot.”

Christie, who coaches one of the Kings’ two teams in the California Classic, noted that Ellis brings a different level of passion when he’s on the court.

“I thought the energy changed when he came into the game [Sunday],” Christie said. “It wasn’t like the energy was bad, it just wasn’t Boogie’s energy. When he enters the game, everything changes. His ability to catch and keep his guy in front of him, he’s fearless breaking the boards. I love the fact that he’s not afraid to shoot the basketball. It’s not fake, he’s already thinking about shooting.

“Just a good teammate. He brought the energy tonight and we really needed it.”

Ellis loves doing the dirty work on both ends of the floor and got a pretty solid scouting report after Sunday’s game.

“Someone who comes into the game with a lot of energy, a defensive player who knows how to make plays, make open shots,” Ellis said. “Everyone knows I can score goals in basketball, so right now I’m just focusing on the defensive end and letting everything else take care of itself.”

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