Tag: Scottie Lewis

Hornets sign Arnoldas Kulboka, Scottie Lewis to two-way contracts

The two players will split their time between the Hornets and Greensboro Swarm in the NBA G League.

The Charlotte Hornets announced this week that they signed forward Arnoldas Kulboka and guard Scottie Lewis to two-way contracts.

Kulboka averaged 9.2 points and four rebounds in 33 games last season with Bilbao Basket in the Liga ACB, the top basketball league in Spain. He also played the 2019-20 season with Bilbao Basket after the Hornets drafted him with 55th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

Lewis, who was the 56th overall pick this year, averaged 7.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 1.5 assists and one blocked shot in 21 games with the Gators. He produced perhaps his best game of the season on Dec. 6 when he registered 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists versus Stetson.

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The two players will split their time next season between the Hornets and Greensboro Swarm in the NBA G League. They will have the opportunity to develop with the Swarm while gaining some NBA experience throughout the season with the Hornets.

Players this season signed to two-way contracts are eligible to spend no more than 50 games in the NBA. They will earn a flat salary equal to 50% of the minimum salary applicable to a player with zero years of service.

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

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Scottie Lewis selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA draft

Scottie Lewis was taken in the second round of the NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets. It’s the first time to Florida players have been drafted since 2011.

Many didn’t think Scottie Lewis would hear his name called during the 2021 NBA draft, but his wait finally came to an end with just five picks to go. The former Florida guard was selected with the 56th pick in the second round by the Charlotte Hornets.

After his former college teammate, Tre Mann, was taken in the first round with the 18th pick by Oklahoma City (ending a nine-year first-round drought and eight-year draft drought overall for UF), Lewis’ selection meant Florida’s first NBA draft with multiple players selected since Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin were both picked back in 2011.

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There was a time when Lewis was considered a lottery pick as a top-10 recruit. But his two seasons at Florida were disappointing, and he decided to cut his losses and bolt to the NBA after the season. Here’s the analysis of the pick from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

At one point projected as a lottery pick, Scottie Lewis had a disappointing two seasons at Florida, struggling to put the ball in the basket with any type of consistency, especially from beyond the arc. Regardless, he has strong potential defensively with his 7-foot wingspan and outstanding intensity level. He’ll likely see time in the G League working on his ball-handling, passing and shooting but does have some upside to tap into at 21 years old.

He’ll need to develop a much more cohesive offensive game to see playing time at the NBA level. But his stellar defensive acumen could help him see opportunities, even if they come at the G League level. The Hornets definitely took a flyer on Lewis and will hope his play can finally match his talent at some point.

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A roundup of NBA sleepers draft analysts are higher on than others

Who owns the most real estate on Davion Mitchell Island? Who is buying stock in Sharife Cooper?

Everyone loves Cade Cunningham. It’s not a hot take for an analyst to say that Cunningham is their favorite player in the class. That’s not particularly interesting to read, either.

But what is fascinating, however, is when an analyst deviates from the norm and ranks someone significantly higher than where the prospect falls in other rankings. What does that tell us about their individual scouting process and what they value? Further, what does that tell us about the potential draftee?

Some folks call it “buying stock” in a player. Others, like ESPN’s Zach Lowe or The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, call it owning real estate on a player’s island. I like to refer to it as a “draft crush” when I wind up higher than consensus in my evaluation of a player.

My process is ridiculously tedious but the results can be fairly useful. I’ve tracked the evolution of more than sixty unique mock drafts, big boards and draft models from trusted analysts and popular accounts on Twitter.

Each placement is assigned a value based on Kevin Pelton’s draft pick trade value chart. I do this because, as Pelton notes, the difference in relative value between the No. 5 overall pick and the No. 7 overall is much more stark than, say, that of the No. 45 pick and the No. 47 pick.

After composing an aggregate score based on each ranking, I can see where each analyst strays from the pack.

I’ll leave the conclusions drawn from these results up to the reader. But if nothing else, this can eventually be used as a bragging point if one writer was higher than consensus on a draftee who eventually ends up outperforming his draft position.

2021 aggregate NBA mock draft 7.0: Ranking the full class of prospects

The 2021 NBA draft is less than a week away and we finally have an idea of who is in — and who has withdrawn — from the class.

The 2021 NBA draft is less than a week away and we finally have an idea of who is in – and who has withdrawn – from the class.

In order to get a better sense of where all of the prospects stand as of right now, we compiled mock drafts from NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, Yahoo, The Athletic, The Ringer, Yahoo, NBA Big Board and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win to see where the prospects rank at the moment.

Please note that these rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for consensus, not our own opinion.

Since our previous update last month, some of the players with the most positive momentum include Quentin Grimes, Joe Wieskamp, Vrenz Bleijenbergh, Aaron Wiggins, Justin Champagnie, Jericho Sims, Jason Preston, Josh Primo, Neemias Queta, Trey Murphy and Bones Hyland.

Among players who ranked on our previous update who have since withdrawn from the draft include Roko Prkacin (32), Marcus Bagley (39), Terrence Shannon (48), Ariel Hukporti (50), Max Abmas (53), Johnny Juzang (54), Jordan Hall (66), Carlos Alocen (69) and Ochai Agbaji (75).

The most notable omissions who remain in this class but not these rankings are Yves Pons, Scottie Lewis, Jay Huff, Marcus Zegarowski, Aamir Simms, Dalano Banton, Matt Mitchell, Jose Alvarado, Carlik Jones, Derrick Alston Jr., Romeo Weems, Balsa Koprivica, Chaundee Brown, Isaiah Miller, Jordan Schakel and D.J. Carton.

Note that for the offensive roles, we borrowed a fun idea from Todd Whitehead (formerly of Nylon Calculus) with help from our friends at Bball-Index.com to create a slightly tweaked formula from the version they use.

The goal of that is not to explain how well a player scores but rather offer context for the way that he was used on his most recent team. This should help you predict how he might be used at the next level.

Meanwhile, you can learn the latest updates on every single prospect who has been included in recent mock drafts by scrolling below.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis selected in this full NBA mock draft from Rookie Wire

Here’s where Mann and Lewis go in the full NBA mock draft from Rookie Wire.

The 2021 NBA draft is now a week away, and that means Florida’s lengthy draft drought is about to come to a close. The Gators haven’t had a player drafted since Erik Murphy in 2013, and you have to go back another year to find their last first-round pick in Bradley Beal.

This year, it’s very possible UF gets two players selected. Both point guard Tre Mann and shooting guard Scottie Lewis were invited to the NBA combine, but only Mann is projected to be a first-round pick. He’s seen a lot of variation in his projections, with some thinking he’ll be taken near the tail end of the lottery while others have him falling toward the end of the round.

Lewis is considered a fringe draft prospect, but it’s very likely the talented former five-star recruit will hear his name called in the second round. Both get picked in this full two-round mock from Rookie Wire, and here’s where they land.

2021 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0: Final rankings of the Top 100 prospects

With just over a week left until the 2021 NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it’s officially the most wonderful time of the year! 

With just over a week left until the 2021 NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it’s officially the most wonderful time of the year!

That means that after a slew of surprising early entry withdrawals impacted the worlds of both college and international basketball, the next generation of NBA talent is getting closer to entering the league. As players finalize their place on big boards in front offices, I wanted to offer my opinion on how I think those rankings should look.

Note that our list is certainly going to look different from the lists at ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report and other publications. Player evaluation is an inexact science. Part of the process is being willing to admit when you were wrong about a player.

But avoiding group-think and ending higher than consensus on a player is how an NBA team ends up selecting them in the draft. With that in mind, here is who I would target if I were running a front office.

2021 NBA Mock Draft 6.0: Predicting all 60 picks after the combine

While most of the basketball world is focused on the NBA Finals, scouts and draftniks are in the midst of a very busy time of year as well.

While most of the basketball world is focused on the NBA Finals, scouts and draftniks are in the midst of a very busy time of year as well.

The most crucial dates leading up to the draft are the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the early entry application deadline, the lottery, the combine and the early entry withdrawal deadline. All have since come and gone, which means that we’re somehow already in the home stretch before the big night in Brooklyn on July 29.

Prospects are still frantically traveling around the country, visiting with teams for both individual and group workouts in front of key decision-makers. Still, others are currently playing for their national team on the FIBA circuit.

But as far as the public is concerned, the only new information that will be released between now and the draft will be filtered through whatever is reported by journalists. As such, until intel starts rolling in, this mock draft offers the most informed projections yet.

While these predictions are based on my conversations with NBA scouts and executives around the league, as well as my own scouting and information-gathering, they’re subject to change dramatically over the course of the next few weeks.

Gators’ Scottie Lewis could appeal to the Pistons in the 2021 NBA draft

After making the first-overall pick, the Detroit Pistons could look to a player like former Gator Scottie Lewis in the second round.

The Florida Gators basketball team is sending former five-star recruit Scottie Lewis to the 2021 NBA draft. He’s not considered a major prospect in the class, but he seems like a good candidate to interest the Detroit Pistons in the second round.

The national media often likes to poke fun at the team regarding the reemergence of Blake Griffin with the Brooklyn Nets, but the morale among Pistons fans couldn’t be higher right now as they enter the upswing of their swift rebuild under general manager Troy Weaver.

Be it Cade Cunningham or someone else, the vast majority of conversations about the Pistons will soon involve the player they select first in the draft. However, what made Weaver’s tank job with the team so effective is his knack for skillful talent evaluation. He walks to the beat of his own drum in that regard, but his thoroughly successful first draft class with the team is proof of his capability.

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A common thread among players targeted by the Weaver-era Pistons is a long wingspan. Long arms open up all kinds of possibilities for a player, especially on the defensive side of the ball. It’s been said repeatedly by the Pistons and reaffirmed by their roster choices that if a player can’t defend, he won’t see the floor.

Lewis checks that box physically, registering a whopping plus-8 inch wingspan at his official NBA Combine measurement. In virtually every scouting report, he was known as a defensive stalwart as a recruit and he performed well on that side of the ball as a freshman. He’s bouncy, energetic, and is a vocal leader on the floor, making him an asset in team defense.

Frankly, his defensive efficiency numbers took a severe hit in 2020-21. However, there’s a chance that teams who value their scouting reports won’t hold that against him. He has encouraging traits and his role on the team was jerked around quite a bit, so a steadier environment could coax better results.

The Pistons currently hold three second-round picks in the 2021 draft, which gives them plenty of breathing room to take a flyer on a raw player with attributes they like, such as Lewis. To be frank, there’s also a good chance that he goes undrafted and they could target him as a free agent.

True enough, Lewis couldn’t seem to find his shooting stroke during the 2020 season. There’s plenty of reasons to believe that he will struggle to find his footing in pro ball, but Detroit’s coaching staff has a reputation for developing young players. Their recent hire of John Beilein only reinforces that sentiment.

It’s tough to figure out what will happen in any sports draft, and in the NBA, most people stop caring once the lottery portion is finished. But with Lewis on the board in the late part of the draft, keep an eye on the Pistons as a team who could target him with the intent of stashing him in the G League for further seasoning.

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Gators’ Scottie Lewis could appeal to the Pistons in the 2021 NBA draft

After making the first-overall pick, the Detroit Pistons could look to a player like former Gator Scottie Lewis in the second round.

The Florida Gators basketball team is sending former five-star recruit Scottie Lewis to the 2021 NBA draft. He’s not considered a major prospect in the class, but he seems like a good candidate to interest the Detroit Pistons in the second round.

The national media often likes to poke fun at the team regarding the reemergence of Blake Griffin with the Brooklyn Nets, but the morale among Pistons fans couldn’t be higher right now as they enter the upswing of their swift rebuild under general manager Troy Weaver.

Be it Cade Cunningham or someone else, the vast majority of conversations about the Pistons will soon involve the player they select first in the draft. However, what made Weaver’s tank job with the team so effective is his knack for skillful talent evaluation. He walks to the beat of his own drum in that regard, but his thoroughly successful first draft class with the team is proof of his capability.

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A common thread among players targeted by the Weaver-era Pistons is a long wingspan. Long arms open up all kinds of possibilities for a player, especially on the defensive side of the ball. It’s been said repeatedly by the Pistons and reaffirmed by their roster choices that if a player can’t defend, he won’t see the floor.

Lewis checks that box physically, registering a whopping plus-8 inch wingspan at his official NBA Combine measurement. In virtually every scouting report, he was known as a defensive stalwart as a recruit and he performed well on that side of the ball as a freshman. He’s bouncy, energetic, and is a vocal leader on the floor, making him an asset in team defense.

Frankly, his defensive efficiency numbers took a severe hit in 2020-21. However, there’s a chance that teams who value their scouting reports won’t hold that against him. He has encouraging traits and his role on the team was jerked around quite a bit, so a steadier environment could coax better results.

Offensively, his impressive vertical skills and speed can be devastating in transition, but he’s held back by his poor shooting form. While his offense is not a calling card, but with intelligent usage, he could make a positive impact for Detroit. One of the things that held back the 2020-21 Pistons was a nearly unwaveringly slow gamepace that led to squandered opportunities in transition. Lewis could help change that.

The Pistons currently hold three second-round picks in the 2021 draft, which gives them plenty of breathing room to take a flyer on a raw player with attributes they like, such as Lewis. To be frank, there’s also a good chance that he goes undrafted and they could target him as a free agent.

True enough, Lewis couldn’t seem to find his shooting stroke during the 2020 season. There’s plenty of reasons to believe that he will struggle to find his footing in pro ball, but Detroit’s coaching staff has a reputation for developing young players. Their recent hire of John Beilein only reinforces that sentiment.

It’s tough to figure out what will happen in any sports draft, and in the NBA, most people stop caring once the lottery portion is finished. But with Lewis on the board in the late part of the draft, keep an eye on the Pistons as a team who could target him with the intent of stashing him in the G League for further seasoning.

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NBA draft combine: Four players who most improved stock with athletic testing

The NBA draft combine is underway in Chicago and it has already been an incredibly productive few days for scouts around the league.

The NBA draft combine is underway in Chicago and it has already been an incredibly productive few days for scouts around the league.

As the top decision-makers in the game gather to watch the next generation of talent audition for a spot on a roster next season, many of the top prospects have been able to separate themselves from the pack. While scrimmages are considered the most exciting part of the activities, measurements and athletic testing are imperative as well.

Tennesse’s Keon Johnson set the record for the max vertical jump, shattering the previous best by more than two inches. That will certainly ingratiate him in the eyes of some scouts and executives working for NBA teams.

Meanwhile, below are some of the other players who were able to move the needle at the combine so far this week.

Note that all anthropometric and strength/agility scores are courtesy of NBA.com.