The Sacramento Kings fell just two points behind the Minnesota Timberwolves in their season opener at the Golden1 Center. Mike Brown's team will look to bounce back against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday and will need strong players to face an LA team playing for the second straight year.

Standing out on the Kings' bench is guard Keon Ellis, a player who burst onto the scene earlier this year following an injury to Kevin Huerter. After taking on the responsibility last season, CBS Sports Analyst Colin Ward-Henninger sees Ellis as the top breakout candidate for the new NBA season.

On a roster full of established talent, Ellis appears to be the most likely candidate to become a more household name in national NBA circles. He holds the interior position as the starting shooting guard in a lineup full of scoring talent, so Ellis' offensive numbers probably don't jump out at you, but his defensive contributions (think chasing Steph Curry all over the court) and basketball IQ and his timely shooting makes him a key factor in Sacramento's offense.

– Colin Ward-Henninger, CBS Sports

Although Ellis lost his starting spot to Huerter before the end of the season, his influence on the field will not be lost. Huerter plays the role of a distance player for the Kings, helping draw defenders to the edge to create space for slashers like De'Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan. On the other hand, Ellis is a defensive specialist who will certainly help close out games when needed.

Even though he excels on one side of the field, Ellis is still an efficient shooter. Last year, alongside Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Ellis hit 42% of his three-point attempts. If he can maintain this number, he will surely gain more and more trust from the coaching staff.

In the season opener, Ellis only managed 11 minutes, but still managed to get two steals and two points in just a few minutes. For a team that needs to focus on quick defense, Ellis is a tool that Mike Brown shouldn't ignore. Keep an eye on how much playing time Ellis gets as they face a strong Lakers team that is off to a 2-0 start this October.

The Kings will face the Lakers at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Follow the Sacramento Kings on SI Facebook And Twitter.

SSubscribe to YouTube for breaking Kings news videos and live stream podcasts!