Monta Ellis Finds Himself Again After Taking Off His Mask

Monta Ellis is starting to get comfortable again with the Indiana Pacers after taking off the plastic match he wore due to a broken nose.

Monta Ellis had spent a large portion of 2017 as a masked man, hiding his face in plain sight after breaking his nose against the Brooklyn Nets.

When the Indiana Pacers faced the Detroit Pistons on February 4th, Monta Ellis decided he’d paid enough penance for his broken nose and removed his mask — and his burden — midgame.

The NBA was not ready for what came next.

Okay, okay. In the seven games since Monta removed the mask, he hasn’t reminded anyone of LeBron James or Steph Curry. He’s still coming off the bench, and still very much a secondary option behind Paul George, Myles Turner, and probably a few more still.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

• 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
• Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
• 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
• 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
• Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?

But Monta Ellis has looked more like the Monta that had it all recently, and he’s looked like a guy the Pacers bench could use.

Over the seven games since Detroit, Ellis is averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 assists. He’s shooting 57.4% from the field and 38.5% from deep, and only averaging 1.4 turnovers in 28.3 minutes of court time. This isn’t the Golden State Monta Ellis or even the guy he was in Dallas. What he is now is much more effective and efficient than he’s been all year.

Two weeks ago I asked: Should the Pacers give Monta Ellis the damn ball? So far, Monta is trying to tell us the answer is yes.

It’s worth noting — this statistical spike has another correlation. Rodney Stuckey has been back in the lineup from a hamstring injury for exactly 7 games, and Aaron Brooks has played less than 8 total minutes during that span. It’s possible that Ellis has been more comfortable simply because he’s been the nominal point guard with the 2nd unit, and that Stuckey is a better player than Brooks who makes the lineup work a little better.

Next: Indiana Pacers Set Their Sights on Jahlil Okafor

All of that is possible — but is it more likely than an unmasking returning power to a hardened veteran?