MONTA ELLIS ARTICLE

Warriors feel Ellis is up to challenge of taking over as point guard
by Marcus Thompson II / Contra Costa Times

... There are plenty of athletes who overcame a lack of talent by working harder than everyone else. There are plenty of athletes who are good enough to thrive with putting in the practice time. But not many combine special talent with a persistent grind to get better, as does Ellis.

... he has unique quickness in lateral movement and reaction. He gets off the ground like a flea — fast and high — and has superb body control while in the air. He has a natural feel for the game you can't teach — he knows how and when to change gears and how to anticipate the help defense.

... it's his work ethic that has set Ellis apart.

... "Anytime he's faced with any type of adversity or someone questioning his ability, he uses that as a motivating factor and turns it into a positive," Mullin said. "From where he was drafted to not playing much his rookie year, he's been faced with things already and has taken them head on. He's one of those motivated, mentally tough kind of guys. I have a lot of confidence in him."

You think he's good now at 22 years old, just wait until you see him in his prime. I envision him doing a good job at PG and improving his defense to a satisfactory level next year. Once he develops a more consistent long range shot, improves his point guard skills, and adds the 3-pointer to his repertoire in the next couple of years, he could focus on becoming a much better defender. Ellis has the god-given quickness and athletic ability and we've seen him play harassing defense at times. With his outstanding work ethic, there's no reason he couldn't vastly improve this part of his game in time. Warriors have him until 2014 when he will be 28 years old and at the peak of his abilities mentally and physically.


Monta Ellis Mix
From: Necroking24