Now, I know there's other draft threads and such but I decided now that we know who we've drafted and which picks we've actually made, it would be interesting to have a place to talk about Kira Lewis in specific rather than him as a value play or at his draft spot or who else was available or whatever. I don't know how much Kira everyone has seen, but I'm going to stick a bunch of little clips of him down below highlighting a bunch of his skills but also some things of mild concern. Highlight culture is a plague, I know, but it's draft night technically so I'm not going to get too crazy with it.
Kira Lewis' burst, slight hesitation/change of pace into burst, and straight line speed are absolutely elite regardless of class. His speed can unlock so many opps even w/out elite vision.
— Spencer (@SKPearlman) June 10, 2020
Also, check out that 4th clip w/the burst + live action LH pass right on the money. pic.twitter.com/EjsFRy2slt
Quick 1 min video on Kira Lewis showing a few things:
— Spencer (@SKPearlman) July 4, 2020
- He should absolutely kill in transition and on 2ndary break
- has shown really nice finishes w/LH
- can contort body at the rim to avoid contact
- burst, speed, and acceleration are elite (and does a great job staying low) pic.twitter.com/bNks7HLk4z
Kira Lewis's defense has been a lot better than I remembered in the last couple games I've watched. Obviously weak and his footwork vs. screens comes and goes, but recovers to ball-handlers super quickly, moves well laterally, and consistently impacts with length pic.twitter.com/2nBmkIAsR2
— Max Carlin (@maxacarlin) April 2, 2020
Pros:
- Blisteringly fast. Will be one of the faster guards in the NBA immediately, and he has enough shiftiness and burst to use the speed in the halfcourt rather than just transition.
- He drives! Good lord a Pelicans guard who will drive when you let him, what a world are we living in? Jrue drove well but wasn't aggressive enough at times: Lonzo just doesn't do it at all, and guys like Redick and Moore have never really been driver types. Someone who will attack is a godsend.
- Really nice shooting form with good follow through that he maintains even off movement. He was 82nd percentile (about 36%) on pullup jumpers this past year, and there's hope he can continue improving at that.
- Shot 41% from the short mid-range, so there's room to be optimistic on some inside game.
- Generally takes good shots! He can sometimes be prone to taking awkward ones in the paint when passing might be better, but overall he tends towards better looks. 40% of his halfcourt shot attempts are in the paint, and of 153 jumpers last college season, 129 were from 3.
- Solid handle that he combines with his speed to increase its efficacy.
- Active and willing passer who looks for good shots to assist: 65% of his assists in the halfcourt were for 3s, which is great. Does the drive and kick well, because he is willing to use his speed to blitz into a defense.
- Can run a Pick and Roll. He's not the most advanced in the world at it, but he can do it well and he is willing to do it. Can make whip passes and off the dribble passes using either hand, which greatly increases his threat.
- Solid help defender who digs in well, covers angles well, and shows signs of good anticipation and awareness. Navigates screens well, and fights when they do take him out of the play. Recovers consistently.
- Doesn't bite on fakes often when on defense, tends to stay at home and recognise manipulation attempts.
- Quick hips, hands, and feet which mean his defensive instincts generally get a chance to actually turn into defense proper most of the time. Doesn't tend to be blown by or overwhelmed.
Cons:
- He's very light and not that strong, and his frame isn't that great for adding weight to. He should be able to add some and improve his core strength but he's never going to be a super strong NBA guard.
- Not the best finisher at the rim, largely due to being unable to finish well through contact. That's another strength issue, where there's obvious room for improvement as he works on his core.
- Fairly mediocre passing vision. Of course, he is a technically very skilled passer so when he sees them he makes them well, but he's prone to missing corner guys when he's driving at full speed and sometimes it seems like he's unaware of where other people are in transition unless they're right in front of him.
- Prone to off-ball defensive lapses, which is not at all unusual for a young player but is still something to be aware of. Can be liable to gamble a bit too often.
- Another strength based issue: stronger guards can just move him when he's defending them and he doesn't present much of an obstacle to guy who can get a head of steam behind them.
- Inconsistent defensive footwork can leave him offbalance and unable to recover on pullups.