Doug Christie: Malik Monk, Keon Ellis rotation decision is ‘nothing personal’

“This job is a different animal,” Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie said before their Monday night matchup.

Coming into the night, the previous Sixth Man of the Year contender, Malik Monk, had been a healthy scratch in two straight showings. Zach LaVine was also inactive during that time due to a moderate left ankle sprain.

Given that Monk had been averaging 24 minutes per night before that, there was confusion as to why he wasn’t on the floor. That sense isn’t new to the Kings, who have been in a similar situation with guard Keon Ellis.

Following Sacramento’s 98-93 home loss to the Trail Blazers on Saturday, Monk’s second straight DNP-CD, Christie explained his decision.

“We made the decision to go with Keon,” he said. “Similar situation to when Keon wasn’t playing, Malik was the one. It’s a logjam there. We’re 6-22, we’re trying something different. We’re going to turn over all the rocks and try to make sure that we are locked in on that. So not necessarily permanent, no, not at all. Like I told him, stay ready.”

Christie echoed a similar sentiment before Sunday night’s overtime win. “It’s just mathematics,” he said. “It ain’t nothing personal. This job is a different animal.”

Monk also shared his perspective and confusion with the ongoing situation in a pregame conversation with the Sacramento Bee. “It’s not my job to try to figure out why I’m not playing because I deem myself more than the whole, so I’ll just be ready when my name is called.”

“If someone isn’t playing great, there’s a really good chance that someone’s going to play,” Christie explained. “If someone isn’t playing to our standard of competitiveness, of all the different things that we value, then obviously, there’s a strong possibility that they’re going to come out of the game.”

That seemed to play out in their win over the Houston Rockets. As had been the case, Keon Ellis entered the action with roughly four minutes left in the opening quarter.

Tallying another five-minute run in the second, Ellis went into halftime with zero field goals on three attempts. Known for his defensive prowess anyway, he often manages to impact games without lighting up the box score.

But that hasn’t always been the case in this up-and-down season. On the final play before halftime, Ellis fouled Houston’s Reed Sheppard as he attempted a final-second three-point heave.

Ellis didn’t make an appearance in the second half. Instead, Monk made his first in two games, logging two points in his mere five minutes of the Kings’ 125-124 victory.

“Keon wasn’t terrible, but Malik brought in energy,” Christie said postgame regarding the decision.

Malik Monk makes his first appearance of the night in Q3, much to the enjoyment of the G1C crowd.

Would guess he’s taking Ellis’s minutes this half pic.twitter.com/yhH18cUplR

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 22, 2025

“The crowd gave that energy back. He came in, got a bucket, and I told him after the game, I appreciate you for being a pro,” he continued. “That’s part of what it is to be a part of a team and a good teammate. It was big time for him. It was five minutes, but they were really good, five minutes that we needed, and he supplied it.”

Their choice between Ellis and Monk, especially when LaVine eventually returns, will be interesting to monitor as their season continues. With general manager Scott Perry expected to be active in pursuing trades before February’s trade deadline, maybe that’s how this all gets worked out.

Interestingly, the on-off numbers highly favor Monk this season. Sacramento is outscored by 12.3 points per 100 possessions with Monk off the floor compared to -5.7 when he’s on.

You’d probably expect that should show on the offensive end, but they’re actually notably better defensively with him on the floor — 119.8 defensive rating without Monk compared to 114.6 with him.

Meanwhile, it’s been a disappointing season for Ellis, who could enter unrestricted free agency this offseason. The Kings are better with him off the floor both offensively and defensively, but his inconsistent minutes and seemingly undefined role probably play a significant factor.

It reminds me of a conversation with Ellis at his first California Classic Summer League after going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. He felt like his poor showing in the combine scrimmages harmed his draft stock, but noted how that environment, with players striving to prove themselves and often not playing a team-oriented style, wasn’t the most conducive to his game.

At times, the 2025-26 Kings have felt similar. The league (Kings included) are aware that both Ellis and Monk are deserving of being regulars in an NBA rotation. Still, their current “logjam” has limited Christie’s ability to play both consistently.

More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports

Anything can happen on any given night in the NBA, and the Sacramento Kings gave us a reminder of that on Sunday.

As miserable as the start to the 2025-26 regular season has been for Sacramento, they defied the odds by erasing a 14-point deficit with less than ten minutes remaining against the Houston Rockets, forcing overtime, and eventually securing a thrilling 125-124 win in overtime in what may be the Kings’ win of the year.

Sacramento (7-22) entered play against the Rockets with the worst record in the Western Conference, while Houston sat within two games of the second-seed San Antonio Spurs in the standings.

However, the Kings came through in crunch time thanks to clutch triples from Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder, the latter of which handed Sacramento a one-point lead that ended up acting as the difference in the final tally.

Read More:

Rockets HC Ime Udoka takes subtle jab at Kings following OT loss

Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season

• Tuesday, December 23rd vs. Detroit Pistons – 7:00 PM PT
• Saturday, December 27th – vs. Dallas Mavericks – 2:00 PM PT
• Sunday, December 28th – @ Los Angeles Lakers – 6:30 PM PT
• Tuesday, December 30th – @ Los Angeles Clippers – 8:00 PM PT
• Thursday, January 1st – vs. Boston Celtics – 7:00 PM PT

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