Monta Ellis had spent a large portion of 2017 as a masked man, hiding his face in plain sight after breaking his nose against the Brooklyn Nets.
When the Indiana Pacers faced the Detroit Pistons on February 4th, Monta Ellis decided he’d paid enough penance for his broken nose and removed his mask — and his burden — midgame.
The NBA was not ready for what came next.
Okay, okay. In the seven games since Monta removed the mask, he hasn’t reminded anyone of LeBron James or Steph Curry. He’s still coming off the bench, and still very much a secondary option behind Paul George, Myles Turner, and probably a few more still.