Tag: kira lewis

Kira Lewis Jr. goes off for career-high to lead shorthanded Pelicans

Without four key players, including Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, Lewis stepped up to lead the Pelicans in a loss to the Hawks.

Without four key players, Kira Lewis Jr. stepped up off the bench on Friday to lead the New Orleans Pelicans in scoring but his career night was not enough as the Atlanta Hawks coasted to a 126-103 victory.

Lewis produced a career-high 21 points, surpassing his previous high of 16 points, to lead the Pelicans, who were without Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart. He converted on 9-of-16 shots from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range in the loss.

The performance by Lewis helped offset a shaky outing on Thursday, in which he went just 4-of-13 from the field in a loss to the Orlando Magic. Although in a losing effort, Lewis bounced back on Friday and looked to be in a groove on the court.

New Orleans has been hit by the injury bug recently and has struggled a bit. The team is hopeful they can get some of their key players back as they fight to stay alive in the playoff picture in the Western Conference, but the outing by Lewis offered a glimpse of what he can bring off the bench.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Kira Lewis Jr. posts career game in Pelicans’ blowout win over Lakers

Facing a shorthanded Lakers team, the Pelicans turned in a dominating effort behind a season-high 36 points from Brandon Ingram.

Facing a shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers team, the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday turned in a dominating performance to pick up a 128-111 victory behind a season-high 36 points from Brandon Ingram.

New Orleans led by as many as 30 points against the Lakers, who were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Pelicans forward Zion Williamson recorded 27 points, his 21st straight 20-point game, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 18 points.

Pelicans rookie Kira Lewis Jr. produced a career-high 16 points and six assists in 20 minutes off the bench. He finished the contest by shooting 5-of-9 from the field, including a career-high 3-of-5 from 3-point range, to go along with two blocked shots.

“He made shots,” Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “He got the ball up in the air better; that’s one thing I noticed. He had been shooting the ball really flat. He got the ball up in the air and shot it well. He is always pretty good on the attack, (he) hit a little runner. He was active defensively. He was really good tonight.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUee-vmu9hA

Lewis led the Pelicans’ efforts off the bench with Jaxson Hayes chipping in 16 points and Josh Hart adding two points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five steals. Van Gundy praised that group and thought they were key when the starters were out of the game.

For Lewis, the 13th overall pick has had an inconsistent season with playing time up and down but he has often played well in spurts. The added minutes on the court have enabled him to gain more comfortability on the court this season.

“Things are starting to slow down and it just comes with getting the reps in practice or in the games,” Lewis said. “Seeing what guys like to do on the defensive end, their tendencies. Just making the right reads and knowing my teammates’ personnel and just giving them the best opportunity to score.”

Lewis represents part of the Pelicans’ bright future, along with Williamson, Ingram, Alexander-Walker, Hayes and others. His development has been exciting to watch this season for Pelicans fans and that should only continue throughout the rest of the year and beyond.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Pelicans ‘really encouraged’ by Kira Lewis Jr. early in training camp

From Stan Van Gundy to JJ Redick, Lewis has impressed so far during Pelicans training camp.

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Kira Lewis Jr. has spent much of the early part of training camp with the New Orleans Pelicans learning as much as possible ahead of the 2020-21 season but the 13th overall pick has also impressed a few individuals along the way.

Rookies this year are at a bit of a disadvantage of entering the season after a truncated offseason period. The process of learning new plays and getting to know their teammates on the court is often lengthy and teams only have a few weeks this year to relay that information to players.

Lewis is seemingly soaking up everything that has been thrown at him.

“I love what Kira has done,” head coach Stan Van Gundy said Tuesday in a Zoom call with reporters. “Number one, you can tell his talent is there: Quick, can shoot the ball, plays really hard, good defensive instincts. He has a lot going for him as a player so that’s exciting. He’s also a great worker with a great attitude. He doesn’t question anything. He just tries to do everything you ask him to do. We are really encouraged by what we’ve seen early on.”

Lewis earned All-SEC First Team honors last season after averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 31 games played with Alabama. He also shot 50.7% from the field, including 36.6% from 3-point range on 4.9 attempts.

The addition of Lewis figures to be a great fit with the Pelicans given his ability to run out in transition and play both guard positions. He proved to be a solid shooter last season, something that has stood out even more to teammate JJ Redick.

“His speed strikes you immediately,” Redick said on Tuesday. “It seems like he is a better shooter than I thought. I don’t watch a ton of college basketball but watching him in drills and his ability to knock down open 3s in practice has been really good. He’s also coachable. He’s got a good demeanor out on the court. I think he responds well. I can see why we took him with that pick.”

New Orleans wants to be very aggressive in transition and appears to have the pieces in place to help facilitate that style of play. Certainly, there is much to like with Lewis and he appears to be off and running thus far in training camp.

The Pelicans begin preseason play on Monday vs. the Miami Heat.

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Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy plans to play Lonzo Ball, Kira Lewis together

While drafting Kira Lewis may have been an unexpected pick for the Pelicans, Stan Van Gundy sees minutes for both he and Ball together.

The New Orleans Pelicans’ drafting of Kira Lewis was an unexpected pick, even if the franchise had long targeted the speedy Alabama guard. With the team lacking wing play and shooting, a 3&D wing seemed like the most obvious choice heading into the draft.

Lewis still provides the Pelicans a unique trait that did not exist on the team last season in speed. While Lonzo Ball plays fast, Lewis is physically fast and gives the Pelicans a different dynamic this season.

Immediately after the draft on Thursday, Lewis spoke about what a strong duo he and Ball could be on the court. Despite both being nominally listed as point guards, Stan Van Gundy said in his own post-draft availability that he expects the two to share the court this season.

“I think if you really look around the NBA now, one of the trends we’re seeing for teams, which I think is a good one, is to try to get multiple playmakers on the floor,” he said. “A lot of guys that can make plays. Lonzo’s there. We’ve already had Brandon there. We’re excited about Nickeil Alexander-Walker and now Kira (Lewis). I think there’s going to be a lot of teams with two guys that you would probably classify as point guards but you can play them together.

“I think we’ve seen with some teams, like Oklahoma City this year, was three point guards with Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander,” Van Gundy continued. “They were playing three guys like that. I think it’s a trend of ‘Get as many playmakers as you can on the floor.’ You might give up a little size at times, though certainly with Lonzo we don’t. And those guys are going to go out and play really hard and be very tough to guard off the dribble and make plays for each other.”

Last season, Ball shared the court often with other ball-handling guards, mainly in Jrue Holiday. Of his 2,025 minutes played last season, 1,103 of those came with Holiday. After that, 293 came with Frank Jackson and 112 came from Nickeil Alexander-Walker. While those numbers could have some overlap, more than half of Ball’s minutes came with another point guard on the court.

Lewis, then, will fill some of those 1,103 minutes left open with Holiday being traded to Milwaukee, as will Eric Bledose who was acquired in the deal as well. But given Ball’s ability to pass the upcourt fast and Lewis’ ability to race up court, it could create some exciting basketball next season.

Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy plans to play Lonzo Ball, Kira Lewis together

While drafting Kira Lewis may have been an unexpected pick for the Pelicans, Stan Van Gundy sees minutes for both he and Ball together.

The New Orleans Pelicans’ drafting of Kira Lewis was an unexpected pick, even if the franchise had long targeted the speedy Alabama guard. With the team lacking wing play and shooting, a 3&D wing seemed like the most obvious choice heading into the draft.

Lewis still provides the Pelicans a unique trait that did not exist on the team last season in speed. While Lonzo Ball plays fast, Lewis is physically fast and gives the Pelicans a different dynamic this season.

Immediately after the draft on Thursday, Lewis spoke about what a strong duo he and Ball could be on the court. Despite both being nominally listed as point guards, Stan Van Gundy said in his own post-draft availability that he expects the two to share the court this season.

“I think if you really look around the NBA now, one of the trends we’re seeing for teams, which I think is a good one, is to try to get multiple playmakers on the floor,” he said. “A lot of guys that can make plays. Lonzo’s there. We’ve already had Brandon there. We’re excited about Nickeil Alexander-Walker and now Kira (Lewis). I think there’s going to be a lot of teams with two guys that you would probably classify as point guards but you can play them together.

“I think we’ve seen with some teams, like Oklahoma City this year, was three point guards with Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander,” Van Gundy continued. “They were playing three guys like that. I think it’s a trend of ‘Get as many playmakers as you can on the floor.’ You might give up a little size at times, though certainly with Lonzo we don’t. And those guys are going to go out and play really hard and be very tough to guard off the dribble and make plays for each other.”

Last season, Ball shared the court often with other ball-handling guards, mainly in Jrue Holiday. Of his 2,025 minutes played last season, 1,103 of those came with Holiday. After that, 293 came with Frank Jackson and 112 came from Nickeil Alexander-Walker. While those numbers could have some overlap, more than half of Ball’s minutes came with another point guard on the court.

Lewis, then, will fill some of those 1,103 minutes left open with Holiday being traded to Milwaukee, as will Eric Bledose who was acquired in the deal as well. But given Ball’s ability to pass the upcourt fast and Lewis’ ability to race up court, it could create some exciting basketball next season.

Pelicans draftee Kira Lewis says he and Lonzo Ball will be a ‘good combination’ with speed and playmaking

After being drafted No. 13 by the Pelicans on Wednesday, Kira Lewis is ready to step in and make an impact from day one.

The New Orleans Pelicans may have drafted a point guard while rostering four of them, including Lonzo Ball, but Wednesday’s No. 13 pick Kira Lewis sees a future that includes him playing alongside them with one particular teammate on his mind.

Lewis gained a rightful reputation as arguably the fastest player in college basketball and likely the fastest in the 2020 NBA Draft. Lonzo Ball has long found success guiding up-tempo offenses. To Lewis, that is a dream pairing.

“Just using our advantage to the best of our abilities,” he said on how Ball and he would fit on the court. “Really getting out, playing in the open floor, feeding off each other, having another point guard that’s dynamic and can make plays and create for his teammates as well as himself.

“I feel like it’s going to be a good combination between me and Lonzo.”

Lewis will have big shoes to fill as he steps into the void created by the trade of Jrue Holiday. While he won’t be expected to match Holiday’s production – very few rookies could – Lewis will be tasked with being another piece of the young core.

“I’m extremely excited,” Lewis said of joining the Pelicans. “I watch them all the time, the young and exciting players they have (like) Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball. They’re a very exciting team and I feel like, with me, I can add a piece to that and we can compete even more.

“When I got called, I was very excited because that was one of the teams I felt like I could come in and help with just with my abilities. I just want to go down there, work as hard as I can and show everybody in the league we can compete as well.”

LOOK: Twitter reacts to Kira Lewis Jr. being drafted to Pelicans

Former Alabama guard Kira Lewis Jr. was selected No. 13 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, the internet reacts to the pick.

Former Alabama guard Kira Lewis Jr. has been drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 13 overall selection.

Lewis will join former No. 1 overall pick from the 2019 draft and Duke product Zion Williamson, as well as Lonzo Ball in New Orleans.

This selection marks the third time a Crimson Tide product was selected in the first round of an NBA draft since 2001.

Alabama fans and the internet have reacted happily to the news. Here’s what they had to say:

It’s not official until Woj let’s us know.

Rothstein calls the Alabama product a “lottery sleeper.”

University of Alabama Athletics Director Greg Byrne shows his support.

The speed, athleticism and flash is all over the place in this group!

Avery Johnson recruited Kira, and now he’s letting the people know.

Fits right in with the style of play New Orleans is looking for.

Can’t confirm this, but can confirm he was at one point the youngest in ollege basketball as a 17-year old freshman.

Tears of joy, I presume.

The two meet in the Bayou.

Rookie of the year crazy?

A scary sight.

 

New Orleans Pelicans select Kira Lewis with No. 13 pick in 2020 NBA Draft

With the No. 13 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans selected Kira Lewis out of Alabama.

With the No. 13 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans selected Kira Lewis out of Alabama.

Lewis played two seasons with the Crimson Tide. In his sophomore campaign, Lewis averaged 18.5 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and shot 45.9% from the field and 36.6% from range.

The noteworthy aspect of his playstyle is the speed at which he plays, earning the reputation as one of the fastest players in the draft. Despite moving on from Alvin Gentry’s up-tempo style after last season, Lewis could still be an appealing option next to Lonzo Ball, another player who flourishes in a fast-paced system.

In an interview for HoopsHype, Lewis discussed his fast playstyle:

“It helps me a lot, just being able to play fast. I like to use different pace and different speed – sometimes going from fast to slow then from slow to fast. Just having that burst, it helps a lot. It really got carried down from my family. My mom ran track, and my dad was fast just from his body type and his family members. It’s really just always been in me.”

The Pelicans do intend to keep Lewis after discussing trades while on the clock, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

2020 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0: Final update ranking Top 100 prospects

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

Originally scheduled for June, the ongoing pandemic pushed the big night back by five months. While this may cause some teams to overthink their decisions, it gave analysts plenty of time to study all of the top prospects eligible in this class.

This year, players had to participate in a mostly virtual pre-draft process. On the bright side, this meant that teams had the opportunity to interview more candidates than ever before.

However, the number of in-person visits were incredibly limited due to the restrictive parameters set by the league. Similarly, the NBA draft combine was conducted without the typical scrimmages where players can separate themselves from the others with impressive on-court performances.

Overall, the players that stood out in this pre-draft process had a different path to recognition than any other year. College basketball players did not have the opportunity to showcase themselves during March Madness. The nation’s top seniors did not get to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

As such, executives will rely mostly on the existing game footage as well as the intel they gathered during their conversations with the prospects. We also depended on similar strategies, getting access to one-on-one interviews with more than three dozen prospects and exchanging our thoughts with various scouts across the league.

This helped us put together our final big board, looking at the Top 100 players ranked on their potential to make a difference for teams in the NBA.

Relevant statistics were pulled from Synergy Sports Tech, Bart-Torvik, KenPom, Open Look Analytics and RealGM. Note that the age listed for each player references how old they will be on the night of the draft.

Where will Kira Lewis jr. begin his NBA career?

Former Alabama Guard Kira Lewis jr. will be taking his talents to the NBA, but will need to wait until the NBA draft to see where he starts.

Former Alabama guard Kira Lewis spent two seasons with the Crimson Tide and is now set to start his NBA career. With the 2020 draft just days away, mock drafts begin to hone in on teams’ needs, rumors and who they’ve expressed interest in.

The latest mock draft by ESPN’s staff predicts Kira Lewis will be selected No. 18 overall by the Dallas Mavericks.

Jonathan Givony offers an explanation behind the pick,

“A combo guard with impressive speed and plus-shooting indicators, Lewis is capable of playing on or off the ball and also could run the backup point guard minutes when Luka Doncic needs a break,” explains Givony. “Lewis is younger than several freshmen but has two years of high-level experience running a team in the SEC, blossoming into one of the best guards in the country as a sophomore.”

Bleacher Report spoke with Lewis, who is currently in Miami, Florida training for the start of his professional basketball career, and he says that he’s spoken to roughly 25 teams.

Jonathan Wassermann of Bleacher Report has Lewis being drafted No. 10 overall by the Phoenix Suns in his latest mock draft.

“He’d give Phoenix an element of speed and dribble penetration that Ricky Rubio does not, even though Rubio would continue to run the first unit,” writes Wasserman. “In the short term, Lewis could provide a spark off the bench, putting pressure on defenses in transition, turning the corner off ball screens and knocking down jumpers.

He could use a few seasons to fine-tune his decision-making, but he just turned 19 years old in April. Along with his quickness, Lewis’ well-rounded skill set, which includes driving and playmaking ability, shooting versatility and floater touch, points to starting point guard potential.”

Lewis’ career field goal percentage while at Alabama was 44.7% and averaged 79% from the free throw line to average just over 15 points per game.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Kira Lewis as he makes his way into the NBA.