The Cavaliers rolled out three new players at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse last Wednesday night, and the Cleveland crowd did what it always does-it showed up loud, loyal, and fully locked in. For Keon Ellis, one of the newest faces in wine and gold, that electric atmosphere didn’t come as a surprise. He’d already been briefed on what to expect-from someone who knows Cleveland basketball as well as anyone.
“Matthew texted me when I got traded,” Ellis said after the Cavs’ win over the Wizards. “He was like, ‘Yeah, you’ll love it.
Definitely a sports city.’ The energy tonight was real.”
That would be Matthew Dellavedova-championship grit personified and still a folk hero in Northeast Ohio. Delly carved out his legacy with the Cavs during their unforgettable 2016 title run, when Cleveland flipped the script and stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to stun the Warriors. He later left for a well-earned contract in Milwaukee but returned in 2018 to bring veteran leadership and that signature hustle before heading back to Australia.
Ellis and Dellavedova crossed paths in Sacramento during their time with the Kings, and the connection stuck. It’s not hard to see why.
Ellis, like Delly, is built from the underdog blueprint. He went undrafted.
Spent two years grinding it out in junior college before landing at Alabama. Signed a two-way deal.
No shortcuts. No guarantees.
Just work.
“I literally took just about every path to not make it,” Ellis said, reflecting on his journey. “Crazy that I ended up here. Definitely blessed.”
That kind of perspective doesn’t just resonate with fans-it fuels a player’s identity. And for Ellis, the mission is simple.
“I just want to win,” he said. “When the team wins, everyone wins. I try to make winning plays.”
That mindset fits Cleveland like a glove. This is a city that embraces grinders.
Players who defend with purpose, who don’t chase stats or headlines, who show up every night with their foot on the gas. Dellavedova made a career out of that.
Ellis is carving his own lane now, but the echoes are there.
He’s not trying to be the next Delly. But if he keeps bringing that same relentless energy, Cavs fans are going to take notice-and fast.