The value of a great role player should never go understated. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, that much can easily be seen with Keon Ellis. Amid an ugly 106-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, the Cavs defensive star shined in a department the team has been lacking for years.
Cleveland will certainly be no strangers to questions and critiques of mental toughness. Throughout all the playoff shortcomings in years past, and injury struggles in the early parts of this campaign, skeptics have called out the mindset of the Cavaliers. No one could have even truly been blamed for having those doubts.
Guys like Ellis go a long way to erasing them. A fractured finger did not stop him from being a huge defensive playmaker against the Nets. The Cavs guard play his recognizable brand of relentlessness on that end, finishing the game with a whopping five blocks and three steals in the win.
"Good game. We got the win, it's kind of all that mattered," Ellis said in the postgame interview. "As far as finger wise, I was kind of thinking about it going into shooting times and all that. But immediately as soon as I checked onto the court, I didn't think about it at all. So, it feels fine."
Cavaliers should hope Keon Ellis' mental toughness rubs off on them
Excuses are easy to make, especially when you have fallen short time and time again. The Cavaliers have been at the forefront of tossing out reason after reason for any letdowns that have come their way in recent history. Ellis does not appear to be a player who subscribes to that mindset.
That is exactly what the Cavaliers will need for a championship push.
Ellis should be a part of a bigger cultural shift overall. Look over at James Harden too. Say what you will about the future Hall of Famer, but the Cavs point guard has always been ready to play through the pain and figure it out.
Harden is doing just that right now with a hand injury of his own. For a team that has been forced to navigate injuries through playoff runs and have it be a big part of their story, it is a change of pace to have guys like Ellis and Harden.
That is not to say players should be forcing themselves to play through unbearable pain. No one should ever be push for that to be the case.
However, the resilience it takes to navigate these injuries and still be on the court is a layer of mental toughness the Cavaliers should gladly welcome. Ellis' presence changes the pace for the mental battle Cleveland will navigate in the postseason. His role as a difference-maker can already be anticipated.