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Indiana Pacers Need to Sign Monta Ellis

By Maxwell Ogden

Apr 26, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis (11) reacts to a call during the game against the Houston Rockets in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Rockets 121-109. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis (11) reacts to a call during the game against the Houston Rockets in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Rockets 121-109. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indiana Pacers have begun to build for the future. Paul George is the resident superstar and Myles Turner was the lottery pick in 2015, which has created the potential for a versatile and dynamic two-way team.

In order for Indiana to take the next step and return to the playoffs, however, it needs to improve its perimeter offense. George offers a consistent 20-to-25 points per game, but he alone is not enough.

Larry Bird has the Pacers covered.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Pacers will host Monta Ellis in hopes of persuading him to join the organization.

"Free-agent guard Monta Ellis is engaged in serious talks on a possible three-year, $32 million-plus deal with the Indiana Pacers, league sources told Yahoo Sports.Ellis has a scheduled trip into Indianapolis on Wednesday to meet with the Pacers’ front-office and coaching staffs, league sources told Yahoo Sports."

At three years and $32 million, Indiana would be getting an absolute steal.

Bird and Frank Vogel have a vision of the Pacers playing a smaller and faster brand of basketball in 2015-16. That’s a drastic change from the team that made two Conference Finals appearances with David West and Roy Hibbert starting at the 4 and 5.

Hibbert has opted in for the final year of his contract, but West opted out.

What Ellis would provide the Pacers with is a guard who can play the 1 or 2. He’s an excellent scorer with a lethal mid-range game and elite dribble-penetration skills, all the providing contributions as an underrated facilitator.

If nothing else, Ellis would alleviate some of the offensive burden from George’s shoulders.

A New Dynamic

Monta Ellis gets a bad reputation as an inefficient shooter who forces looks and plays selfishly. His combination of volume and efficiency certainly makes it difficult to agree.

For his career, Ellis is averaging 19.4 points on 45.4 percent shooting from the field. Not so inefficient.

Ellis admittedly falls in love with his lackluster 3-point shot, but he’s one of the best slashers in the NBA. His combination of speed, body control and creativity makes him almost impossible to defend in isolation.

If you do manage to stop his attempt to, Ellis has averaged at least 5.0 assists in five of his past six seasons. In other words, he knows how to create for others.

By all means and measures, Ellis is an offensive dynamo.

According to NBA.com, Ellis was No. 18 in points off of drives per game in 2014-15. Despite his size at 6’3″, he shot a remarkably efficient 49.0 percent in those situations.

For what it’s worth, he was No. 1 in 2013-14, per NBA.com.

The primary reason for Ellis’ decline is not a drop-off in his ability, but the fact he went from Jose Calderon to Rajon Rondo as backcourt mates. Rondo is the superior player to Calderon, but the Spaniard is a career 41.2 shooter from 3-point range who can play off-ball.

Rondo’s career percentage: 26.3 percent. He’s a ball-dominant player.

Thus, having a point guard who can shoot—George Hill at 37.0 percent from distance for his career—and a small forward who commands double-teams—All-NBA forward Paul George—will make life easier. Ellis would slice-and-dice defenses en route to yet another big scoring season.

Perhaps then he’ll be rewarded with a long-awaited All-Star Game appearance.

Speed and Quickness

Considering the vision is to play a smaller and more up-tempo style, Monta Ellis is just about the best possible fit. Not only is he an outstanding slasher, but he’s a dynamic athlete.

From end-to-end, there aren’t many players faster than Ellis in the NBA.

That’s not exactly quantifiable, but it’s a well-known piece of information that Ellis’ speed and quickness are two of his greatest tools. His first step is explosive and his play in the open court is close to unstoppable.

The fact that he was No. 6 in points off of pull-up jump shots per game, per NBA.com, is merely evidence of how he keeps opposing defenses on their toes.

Ellis may not be a superstar shooting guard, but he’s a borderline All-Star who’s coming at a bargain price. Roughly $11 million may seem like a lot, but under the rising salary cap, it won’t be.

Building around Ellis, George and Turner would give the Pacers a chance to develop something special in Indiana. They cannot let this opportunity slip away.

Next: Where does Monta Ellis rank amongst the Top 25 NBA free agents?

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