If 25.5 points per game, 5.3 assits per game and 4.0 rebounds per game isn't enough to get you a spot in the all-star game I don't know what is any more. This was the case for Golden State Warrior, Monta Ellis in the 2009/10 NBA season. Maybe its because he is playing with the Golden State Warriors a team with a losing record or maybe its because Golden State's season was ruled by young super-star point guard Steph Curry. What ever the reason was it didn't seem to faze Ellis much, as he continued to perform at a high level after the all-star break.
‘The Mississippi Bullet’ started has Basketball career at Lanier High School in Jackson.
In his four season at Lanier he averaged 28.9ppg, 4.9apg, 5.2rpg and 3.1spg.
His best season at high school was his last which he averaged an amazing 38.4ppg, 7.9rpg, 6.8apg and 4.5spg.
His best outing at high school was a whopping 72 points in a match against Greenwood high school-WOW! Amazingly Monta was a second round draft pick in the 2005 NBA draft (pick 40) drafted by the Golden State Warriors.
His first ever points in the NBA came in a match against the Phoenix Suns on December 7th, in which he scored a 3-point shot.
Ellis was forced to play only about half the season in his debut season, playing 49 games due to knee problems.
In them 49 games he averaged 6.8ppg and 2.1rpg.
In his sophomore season in the NBA Ellis recovered from his knee problems to play almost a full season.
During his sophomore season Ellis hit his first ever game winning shot in the NBA against the Nets giving the Warriors a 110-109 win, on January 24th, 2007.
In the 77 games he played Ellis put up 16.5ppg and 4.1apg, in his sophomore season.
Disaster stuck Ellis in his 3rd season in the NBA.
On August 26, 2008 he had torn a ligament in his left ankle.
Ellis said in an interview, he had suffered the injury during a pick-up game in a gym in his home town of Mississippi-this ended up being not the case.
Suspected during weeks of speculation, it was official that he had sustained the injury in a low-speed moped accident. This behavior is against his player contact, and the Warriors suspended him for 30 games-about the amount of games he was going to miss, because of the injury.
So in a crazy 08-09 season for Monta he ended up playing 25 games, in which he got 19.0ppg and 4.3rpg.
Now to the 09/10 season in which Ellis should have been in the all-star game.
Again knee problems forced Monta to play 64 games this past season in which he still averaged career highs.
Ellis averaged 25.5ppg, 5.3apg, 4.0rpg, 2.2spg and he played 41.4 minutes per game, another career best.
Monta Ellis has provided us with a reel of highlights in his career so far, but is still underrated, in my opinion.
