Kira Lewis Jr. pleased all of Alabama when he chose to stay in-state and play for the Crimson Tide. He made them even happier when he chose to take his name out of the transfer portal after his freshman season when a coaching change happened. Lewis has been a great guard.
Kira Lewis Jr. 2020 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Lewis is a 6’3 guard that loves to score. He can have some major scoring outbursts where he can pour in close to 40 points in a game. As a freshman, Lewis was all about scoring. As a sophomore, he turned into more of a lead guard and raised his assist numbers. Lewis averaged 15.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and four assists per game for his career. However, this year, Lewis raised his statistics to 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.
Lewis has garnered a few awards this year. He was named to the All-Freshman team last year and this year was an All-SEC first-team member. He totaled three games with 30 points and eight games with at least seven assists.
Strengths
Lewis has ridiculous speed. He is an absolute blur when he gets the ball, similar to the speed John Wall plays with. This speed is impossible for the defense to contain. Every time transition starts, teams have to immediately find Lewis which at the very least puts a strain on the defense. There is a reason Alabama could score at will.
Along with his speed, Lewis possesses good handle and craftiness. His ability to create space for himself using his dribble is next-level and it makes him a very effective pick-and-roll player. From his freshman year to his sophomore year, it became clear that Lewis started to understand how to use his skills to create offense. Early in his career, he just used his speed and went fast all the time hoping for something great to happen. As he continues to understand offense better, he will become even harder to deal with.
Lewis is a good enough shooter from deep. He shot 37 percent from three on about five attempts per game. While he is not an excellent shooter by any standards, 37 percent will get the job done. He does not have to be a great shooter yet, but he does need to take and make some. Luckily, it appears he has decent form and can develop into a good shooter.
Weaknesses
The major concern for Lewis is turnovers. His turnovers increased this year from 2.2 to 3.5 per game. His usage increased 22.6 percent to 24.3 percent which is not enough to see a big increase in turnovers like that. However, it is worth noting that Alabama started to play faster in year two for Lewis, so there were a lot more possessions this season. Regardless, a point guard cannot turn over the ball four times per game. That can kill teams in the NBA.
The other weakness of Lewis is his body. Lewis only checks in at 165 pounds which would make him one of, if not the smallest player in the NBA. Being this thin makes him a defensive liability against bigger guards. He is going to have to be creative with his hands, which he has shown at least some success with. A positive take on this is Lewis is a young sophomore. He recently turned 19 and still has two years of college experience under his belt.
NBA Player Comparison
Dennis Schroder. They have similar frames and play with good speed. Neither are great shooters but they are both serviceable. Schroder is a decently better defender than Lewis at this time. Kira Lewis can possibly be a starter in the league, but he seems to be better suited as a backup guard.
NBA Draft Projection
Late first to early second.
Main Photo
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