How much have people talked about players like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Andrew Bynum? They are all good players in their own aspect, but another player in this 2005 draft class is being overshadowed by Paul, Williams, and Bynum; a player by the name of Monta Ellis.

In last season’s rookie/sophomore game, Monta Ellis played fantastic. He came of off the bench to score 28 points of many lobs from Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Raymond Felton.

Monta Ellis was the winner of the “Most Improved Player” award last season, just barely beating Kings forward Kevin Martin. Many people said Martin was robbed and critics were saying that Marin deserved it more than Ellis did. After Monta’s bad performance in the playoffs, more and more people questioned him and his skill.

What many people didn’t realize was that it was Monta’s first playoff appearance ever and the first for the Golden State franchise in over a decade. No one on that team had much playoff experience, so Monta had to learn the hard way by going out their and working hard. Monta did just that, but the butterflies in his stomach made him shooting a horrid 39 percent from the field and only scoring 8 points a game, half the amount that he averaged during the regular season.

Ellis was determined to work hard in the off season and in training camp to make sure nothing like that will ever happen again. Ellis primarily worked on quickness and mid range shooting in the off season. He also had more time to relax and be able to take his mind of off what had happened in the postseason. Nonetheless, Monta was proud as was the rest of the franchise for finally making it to the playoffs. Ellis was a vocal point of the team that got them into the playoffs.

During the preseason, Monta was running full speed in a game and crashed into a fellow Warrior teammate and had a severe concussion for a few days. When Monta was first hit, he did not even move for a few minutes and just stayed on the floor unconscious. After the injury, Monta was skeptical about the beginning of the season. He started off very slow. Ellis admitted it himself that he was not ready to attack the basket again, and was scared. Whenever he touched the ball he would think of that accident he had during the preseason and would not want to attack the basket. He would settle for long range jumpshots and have a low field goal percentage from the field. Critics continued to hate on Ellis in the media and in Warrior articles.

After a while, Monta had a talk with one of the Warriors coaches. They told him to be aggressive and attack the basket. The chances of getting another injury like that would be slim. After the Warriors 0-6 start, Captain Stephen Jackson came back from suspension and helped raise the spirits of the team, especially young Monta’s.

Monta seemed to be getting to the basket a lot easier and raising his averages all across the board. He was one of the 9 guards that shot 60 percent from the field for a whole month; joining greats like Steve Nash and current Warriors shooting coach, Sidney Moncrief.

If you don’t think that is amazing then get this: ever since the first of February, Monta Ellis has had the second most field goals made in the whole league by a guard, trailing only one other player, a man by the name of Kobe Bryant. Monta has made more field goals than players like Tracy Mcgrady, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, and even his own teammate, Baron Davis.

Ellis is a very discipline player as well. Monta has never had a technical foul in his high school or NBA career thus far.

Now how many times have you heard anyone on ESPN say a good thing about Monta Ellis? He hasn’t been praised to the amount that he currently deserves, being overshadowed by other players in his draft class. Get ready for another star player emerging soon, Monta Ellis is emerging fast; after all he is the “one man fastbreak”.