A two-way player can dress for an NBA game, spend the night watching from the bench, and still move closer to losing eligibility. Keon Ellis knew that squeeze in February 2024. He had played in 29 games for the Kings but occupied their active list for 47. His allowance stopped at 50. Three more nights in uniform would close that route onto the floor.
Sacramento had already seen him handle more than cleanup minutes. Ellis filled in when De’Aaron Fox missed games and knocked down shots without demanding the offense run through him. Now the Kings had to decide whether those contributions deserved a standard roster spot.
That decision sits at the center of the two-way player’s audition. Getting through one shift opens a possibility. Giving the coach a reason to call your name again creates a job.
The evidence comes from basketball’s least forgiving places: a screen that catches your shoulder, a closeout that takes away your jumper, a teammate waiting for the pass. How much can the staff trust you to get it right before the clock runs out?
The Bench Seat Comes With A Deadline
The NBA’s two-way system gives teams room to develop prospects alongside their standard roster. Each club can carry three two-way contracts, and each player receives up to 50 regular-season active-list games. Contracts signed during the season carry a reduced allowance. Players also need a standard deal to join a postseason roster.
The active-list distinction matters. A coach might keep someone available as emergency depth without finding minutes for him. That player can practice with the NBA group, learn its calls, and prepare for an opening. Every game he dresses still consumes part of his allowance.
Ellis reached the deadline with a useful body of work. He had started three games while Fox dealt with an injury. After acquiring and waiving Robin Lopez, the Kings used the open roster spot to convert Ellis’s contract in February 2024.
Sacramento could now keep using him without counting down his remaining two-way eligibility. Brown still had to choose how much to play him. Those decisions belong to different people, and they answer different questions: the front office commits a roster spot; the coach commits possessions.
For a two-way player, earning both requires a skill the lineup needs and enough consistency to make that skill usable.
Ellis Made A Smaller Role Worth Keeping
Ellis arrived in Sacramento with proof that he could produce in a larger role. He averaged 16.8 points in 23 G League regular-season games for Stockton in 2022–23. His NBA work that season looked very different: 16 appearances, 4.4 minutes per game, and 1.5 points.
That change demands more than accepting fewer shots. A player who spends long stretches handling the ball can establish a rhythm through repeated touches. Someone entering for four minutes has to recognize the first clean opportunity and act. Hesitation can erase the opening before another one arrives.
Ellis showed what that could look like against Oklahoma City on December 14, 2023. He scored 17 points on eight shots, including five made threes. The scoring came efficiently enough to fit beside Sacramento’s established creators. Ellis gave the Kings offense without asking them to build a different offense for him.
That matters for a two-way player trying to stay on the floor. The catch-and-shoot jumper, quick extra pass, and timely cut all let a reserve contribute while someone else directs the possession. Forcing another dribble can bring a defender back into the play. Passing up an open shot can leave a teammate searching for a worse one.
Ellis earned his standard contract in February. When Kevin Huerter injured his shoulder against Memphis on March 18, Brown gave Ellis more work. He finished with five points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal, and five blocks.
The chronology tells the story: Sacramento committed before that game. Ellis then showed what the club could receive when a bigger opening arrived.
Brown Gave Him Curry
The assignment grew sharper in April. Ellis played nearly 39 minutes in Sacramento’s play-in victory over Golden State, recording 15 points, three steals, and three blocks. He spent much of the night hounding Stephen Curry.
Brown recognized how quickly Ellis had grown into the job. “Every time we give him an opportunity, he just keeps getting better and better,” he told the Sacramento Bee that April.
Curry makes defensive concentration a physical job. His defender must keep working after the pass, navigate another screen, and locate him again before the next catch. Getting the first action right buys no rest.
Screen coverage explains why that pursuit matters. In drop coverage, the guard has to recover over the screen while the big protects the lane. When the big shows at the level, the guard must get back into the play before the temporary help exposes something else. A switch demands a clear exchange of assignments.
Lose contact, and teammates have to respond. The center steps toward the ball, the weak-side defender moves toward the roller, and a shooter can become somebody else’s emergency. Staying attached gives those teammates a better chance to hold their positions.
Ellis’s progression made Brown’s trust visible. An injury replacement became a standard-contract player, then a reserve the Kings could give major minutes against Curry. The next two-way player does not need to duplicate that exact path. He does need to give his coach something equally specific to rely on.
Mitchell Earned A Commitment While He Could Not Play
Ajay Mitchell built his case quickly in Oklahoma City. The Thunder acquired his rights after his selection at No. 38 in June 2024, then signed him to a two-way contract in July. By February 6, 2025, he had played 34 games in Mark Daigneault’s rotation.
Mitchell averaged 6.4 points and 1.7 assists in 16.5 minutes during that stretch. He shot 50.6% from the field and 43.1% from three. Those figures describe a useful supporting role. Oklahoma City already had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to carry its primary scoring burden; Mitchell made his own minutes productive.
Then his foot interrupted the audition. He underwent surgery for a turf toe sprain in his right big toe on January 10.
Mitchell could no longer strengthen his case with another efficient night. The Thunder had to judge the work already on tape. On February 6, they converted his contract anyway, removing his two-way game limit and opening postseason eligibility if he recovered.
That timing gives the decision weight. A two-way player usually needs the next opportunity to prove he belongs. Mitchell had supplied enough evidence that Oklahoma City committed while he could not take another shift.
The Thunder’s move also shows why a prospect’s scoring average cannot explain the whole decision. Six points a night can accompany valuable minutes when a player shoots efficiently and works within the role available to him. The staff does not have to promise a larger job to appreciate the one he already performs.
The Next Substitution Still Has To Be Earned
Ellis and Mitchell crossed the contractual line in different circumstances. Sacramento needed to preserve access to a player nearing his game limit. Oklahoma City committed to a rookie whose injury had interrupted an established role.
Neither transaction could choose the next lineup. A coach still has to account for the opponent, the available teammates, and the problems appearing on the floor.
For a two-way player, that means keeping confidence without making every touch a referendum on his future. An open jumper still needs a decisive release after the previous one misses. The next defensive call still matters after an opponent scores.
Players can make that task harder by pressing. A rushed shot gives the other team the ball. Gambling for a steal can leave a teammate defending the mistake. Those consequences appear on film beside the plays that went right.
The reserve who keeps moving the ball and completes the coverage gives his coach a clearer choice. He may have more talent than the role currently allows him to show. Using that role well gives him a chance to show more later.
Ellis received tougher assignments after Sacramento converted his deal. Mitchell earned his conversion before his foot healed. Both had made their minutes useful enough for the club to keep investing.
The bench stays crowded, and the game keeps moving. When the coach turns toward the reserves, whose name comes first?
READ MORE: The math behind waiving a guaranteed contract before the NBA regular season begins
FAQs
How do two-way players earn NBA rotation minutes?
They fill a lineup need, make quick decisions, and execute defensive assignments. Coaches keep using players who help teammates without forcing the offense.
Does sitting on the bench count toward the 50-game limit?
Yes. A game counts when the player occupies the active list, even if the coach never puts him on the floor.
Can NBA two-way players play in the postseason?
They need a standard NBA contract to join a postseason roster. Converting the deal removes that restriction.
When did Keon Ellis earn a standard NBA contract?
Sacramento converted Ellis’s contract in February 2024. He later took on bigger assignments after Kevin Huerter’s injury.
Why did Oklahoma City convert Ajay Mitchell’s contract while he was injured?
Mitchell had already earned rotation minutes across 34 games. Oklahoma City committed while he recovered, removing his two-way game limit and opening postseason eligibility.
