LAS VEGAS -- Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Ellis was one of the players that the Nets brought in this offseason to improve the roster following a disappointing 2025-26 campaign where they finished with a 20-62 record. Ellis has explained what convinced him to sign with Brooklyn over other suitors and now that he's in the fold, he discussed what he brings to one of the youngest rosters in the league.
"I'm gonna play hard every night. Play hard, winning an effort, and that's just kind of what I'm built on, and just trying to win," Ellis said during an interview with the media while the Nets were in the Las Vegas Summer League. As Ellis alluded to, he has an expectation of himself to be the best perimeter defender on the floor on any given night, but he also wanted to emphasize how hard he's willing to play to win games.
"So I think when you do those things, like you definitely put yourself in a position to win, and then winning will come," Ellis continued. In his time speaking to the media, Ellis mentioned that his relationship with head coach Jordi Fernandez that began during their time with the Sacramento Kings is one big reason that he chose the Nets in free-agency, but his skillset is also something that Brooklyn needs more of.
Ellis, 26, is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 6.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 44.0% from the field and 36.3% from behind the three-point line. Ellis split last season between the Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers after Sacramento sent him to Cleveland in a three-team trade that brought forward De'Andre Hunter to the Kings.
With the Cavaliers looking to preserve as much cap space as possible so that they could re-sign guard James Harden, Ellis chose a Nets team that could give him ample playing time thanks to his 3-and-D skillset and veteran presence. Ellis chose Brooklyn for multiple reasons and now that he's with the Nets, he took the time to explain to the fanbase what they can expect to see from him next season.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Keon Ellis explains what he brings to the roster
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