CLEVELAND — Years ago, Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson used to rewind game film over and over when watching Paul Millsap. Fast forward to 2026, and he’s found another player worthy of that kind of postgame analysis.
Millsap, a former four-time All-Star, could pull off plays on the defensive end to the point that Atkinson considered it requiring viewing (and then reviewing) to really figure out how it was done.
Newly acquired Cavs guard Keon Ellis is warranting a similarly high use of the rewind button. And to Atkinson, he might be the only guard to fit that description.
“Paul, he’d be in the pick and roll and he’d just [snatch it], and you’d have to rewind it and see, how the heck did he get that?” Atkinson said before the Cavaliers’ win against the Detroit Pistons March 3. “He’s the only [other] guy that comes to mind, but a perimeter player like [Ellis], I really have to think about it, not off the top of my head. I can’t think of one [like him].”
Ellis has instantly become a key piece to Cleveland’s perimeter defense, which has evolved into a trusted trio that also includes Jaylon Tyson and Dean Wade.
While the James Harden-Darius Garland trade was unquestionably the biggest move they made at the deadline in an effort to make a run to the NBA Finals, the Cavs know their perimeter defense is among the most crucial elements to their playoff hopes, something of which Ellis is now right in the middle.
“I think the steals and deflections thing, you got it or you don’t,” Atkinson said when asked how much of Ellis’ defensive instincts can be taught. “You can get a little uptick [with coaching], but the extreme where he is, that’s innate. There was one play the other night, I think he had five deflections on the same play and then finished with a block.
“He’s a unique, unique player, but it’s all innate. We can’t take any credit for it.”
Atkinson isn’t the first coach to use the term “unique” to describe the defensive stylings of Ellis, who said Mike Brown also uttered that adjective. It’s in part due to Ellis’ ability to resemble a windmill at a mini golf course, deflecting would-be passes all over the court and disrupting opposing teams’ offensive flow.
“I just think the activity and the deflections, and how often it’s turning into an advantage,” Ellis said. “A lot of guys, good defenders, get stops. I think when they’re getting stops, it’s a lot of blocking it out of bounds or stuff like that. But I do get a lot of stops that turn into offensive advantages.”
Keon Ellis stats
In 10 games with the Cavs entering their Tuesday, March 3 game against the Pistons, Ellis racked up 17 steals and 14 blocks, which doesn’t include the high number of deflections that impressed Atkinson and, before him, Brown. Despite being only 6-foot-4 and averaging just 22.6 minutes, he’s been among the NBA’s most disruptive defensive players since coming to Cleveland.
The Cavs dealing DeAndre Hunter at the deadline shed a great deal of salary and added both Ellis and Dennis Schroder to the fold, thereby accomplishing multiple goals at the same time. It isn’t just a feat with today’s salary cap and trade structures. It was a deal that left many around the game scratching their heads as to how Cleveland was able to pluck Ellis from Sacramento.
“There was obviously a big push to get him,” Atkinson said. “They were gung-ho over the prospects of getting Keon.”
Schroder has had a front-row seat to the impact Ellis can make for much longer.
“Keon, he doesn’t do too much talking, but he gets it done defensively,” Schroder said. “I think in the future, he can be first-team [All-NBA] defense, with how disruptive he is. His hands, how he’s reading guys, how he gets in place, it’s amazing to see. And he’s got a broken finger as well, and he’s still going at it on a high level.”
The March 3 win over the Pistons, who held the No. 1 spot in the East, also showcased how vital Tyson has become to Cleveland’s defensive identity. Mitchell and James Harden will be in the starting lineup, but it’ll largely be up to the trio of Ellis, Tyson and Wade to hold opposing scorers in check if the Cavs are to make a deep playoff run from series to series.
Against the Pistons, the Cavs threw Tyson and others at Cade Cunningham in an effort to slow him down, a plan that worked to near perfection, as the Detroit star was held to two points and zero field goals in the second half.
Wade was unavailable due to ankle injury but is in large part their Swiss Army Knife on defense with his ability to guard any spot on the floor at a high level. Utilizing Tyson and Ellis, the Cavs know they can deploy not only two quality defenders, but two completely different styles.
“Dean’s our main guy — he’s really elite, elite,” Atkinson said. “Keon’s a different kind of defender than Jaylon. Jaylon’s probably more body-to-body, and Keon’s got the hands and the swipes and all that.
“Now you got Jaylon. We got Dean, we got [Ellis]. That bodes well for us in the playoffs.”
The Akron Beacon Journal sports department can be contacted via email at bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs’ perimeter defense pinned to Keon Ellis, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade
Reporting by Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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