Tide Watch: Ellis starts for Kings

As the 2023-24 NBA season gets underway, a few former Alabama men’s basketball stars are making waves around the league.

Every week, TideIllustrated will recap the performances of former Crimson Tide players from the past week of NBA games, and give key updates on those in the NBA G League. Here were some of the top performances by former Alabama players last week:

After he played just one minute of action against the Houston Rockets last week, Ellis saw a big bump in minutes during the Kings' last three games, which included being named in the starting lineup for the first time in his pro career. Ellis was a starter for Sacramento’s games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Ellis finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and three blocks in a productive outing against the Thunder. He had four points, four boards and three steals vs. Portland.

Ellis’ most productive scoring night last week was when he came off the bench in another outing vs. the Rockets last Monday. He scored 15 points and had two rebounds and an assist.

Jones logged 31 minutes, four points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals in the Pelicans’ loss to the Denver Nuggets last Monday, but was ruled out of the Pelicans’ three most recent games due to a right fibula contusion.

Jones was not the only player who was bitten by the injury bug last week. Miller was having a solid outing in the Hornets' game against the New York Knicks on Sunday with 11 points and three rebounds in just 10 minutes of action. His time on the floor was cut short, however, after he suffered a sprained ankle and did not return to the game. His status is listed as day-to-day.

Earlier in the week Miller played over 30 minutes in a pair of games against the Washington Wizards. He had 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal vs. Washington on Wednesday. He totaled 12 points, three boards, two assists, two blocks and a steal on Friday.

Sexton had three double-digit scoring performances for the Jazz last week. He logged 14 points along with three rebounds and two assists against the Chicago Bulls last Monday. He followed that up with a pair of 10-point games against the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies. Sexton added two assists and two boards against Indiana and had six assists, two rebounds and a steal vs. Memphis.

Lewis appeared in three of the Pelicans' four games last week. His most productive outing came on Sunday when he finished with five points, four assists and a rebound in just eight minutes on the floor against the Dallas Mavericks. Lewis had two points, three rebounds and a pair of assists against the Timberwolves and two points in nine minutes vs. the Nuggets. He was a healthy scratch for New Orleans’ game against the Rockets on Friday.

After he was initially given a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, Josh Primo’s contract was converted to a standard NBA contract. None of the remaining former Crimson Tide players who are on two-way contracts with NBA teams saw any action last week.