Perry

Ellis

“You know, I’m just going to come out here and play hard,” Ellis said. “It’s a great opportunity for me. You know, it’s an honor to be here, and I just want to go out here and just play my game and play with a high energy.” Even if Ellis earns a training camp invite, he won’t be on the fantasy radar.

He is more known for how old he looks than how he plays, but Ellis turned in a decent year for the Jayhawks. In his senior year, he averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 boards, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and 0.7 treys on a 60.5 true shooting percentage. A big run at Summer League could help him get a camp invite.

Ellis underwent surgery to correct a sports hernia on Tuesday, so he’ll miss the first three to four weeks of individual workouts prior to training camp opening up. Ellis averaged 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game with the Mavs’ summer league squad, but with 15 guaranteed contracts already on the books in Charlotte, Ellis is a long shot to make the opening-night roster.

Ellis really hasn’t been able to do anything because of his hernia, so we’d expect him to begin the year in the D-League unless he heads overseas upon getting healthy.

He was recovering from surgery prior to training camp, but he should be 100 percent soon. The injury ruined his chances of making the final roster, but the Hornets signed him with the intention of sending him down to their new D-League team in Greensboro, NC.

Ellis averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 30.3 minutes per game during his senior season at Kansas. He’s the 19th player on the training camp roster, so he will likely end up with the Hornets new D-League team unless he has an unbelievable camp.

“With the sports hernia, it’s about how he feels, making sure it’s healed before he does anything,” said Clifford. “He said he feels comfortable running forward, but it’s the lateral stuff where he can feel a little pulling.” With 15 guaranteed contracts already on the books in Charlotte, there’s really no way Ellis will be able to earn a spot on the regular-season roster as he recovers from surgery.

He was never expected to make the final roster, but his sports hernia really prevented him from having a chance to make an impression on anyone. Ellis is likely headed to the D-League or overseas.