Glenn Robinson III

Monta Ellis Returns to the Pacers Lineup... on the Bench

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:05 p.m. ET

Fansided, Ryan Eggers/FanSided via 8 Points, 9 Seconds

The Glenn Robinson III experiment will push on despite the return of Monta Ellis- at least for now.

The long awaited return of Monta Ellis is finally here.

And with that, a question that has been in the minds of many Pacers fans has been answered: Glenn Robinson III will remain in the starting lineup even with Ellis in the rotation.

As IndyStar’s Nate Taylor reported before tonight’s matchup with the Washington Wizards, Ellis has been activated but will be collecting his minutes off of the bench, while Robinson remains the starter. It will remain that way for at least the next few games.

It’s no surprise that Ellis would be eased back into the rotation, but the fact that the Ellis as a sixth man experiment looks to go on for a few games is a bit of a surprise for those who figured Nate McMillan would stick to his guns and his traditional starting lineup. Whether this is purely for the sake of rehabilitating Ellis or indicative of a long-term decision is still in the air, but either way it’s another opportunity for Robinson to prove he’s worthy of the starting job full-time.

This has been discussed multiple times over the past few weeks across various Pacers outlets, and Robinson himself said he wants the job to be his. It might not be a definitive answer, but right now, the odds seem to be in his favor. He’ll now have to prove his skill with Ellis in the lineup right behind him, and he’s going to have a few games to do it.

The first one is tonight in Washington. Keep an eye out to see how Ellis and Robinson perform.