Rockets Rumors: Monta Ellis Works Out for Houston After Mavericks Visit
Monta Ellis reportedly made a second stop in Texas this week as he tries to make an NBA comeback.
According to Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic, Ellis worked out for the Houston Rockets.
The Athletic's Shams CharaniaĀ had reported that Ellis worked out for the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday along with fellow free-agent guards Isaiah Thomas and Lance Stephenson.
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Ellis first announced his intentions in an interview with Alder Almo of Empire Sports Media last month:
The 35-year-old Ellis has not played since 2017.
Ellis entered the NBA in 2005 as a second-round pick of the Golden State Warriors out of high school. He played 12 seasons with the Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Mavericks and Indiana Pacers.
He was a highly productive offensive player throughout his career, averaging 20 or more points per game in a season four times and 18.9 points per game in eight of his campaigns.
Ellis appeared in 833 regular-season games, averaging 17.8 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three-point range.
The 2006-07 NBA Most Improved Player joined the Pacers for his final two seasons, and his production dipped to 8.5 points, 3.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 74 games in 2016-17. He shot 44.3 percent overall and 31.9 percent from three.
Ellis could be a useful bench player if he has maintained some of the trademark explosiveness he displayed throughout his career.
With Houston, Ellis would be looked upon to serve as a veteran leader on a young, rebuilding team that finished with the worst record in the NBA last season.
Ellis could serve as a mentor for guard Jalen Green, who was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft.
The Luka Doncic-led Mavericks have reached the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and are prime candidates to go from a playoff team to a championship contender.
Ellis could provide backcourt depth along with Trey Burke, Jalen Brunson, Sterling Brown and second-year man Josh Green.
