Welcome Kira Lewis {merged}

[Impose]

Saw a tweet regarding Trajan's thoughts on Lewis. He said the whole scouting team loved him and they were excited he was available. I'm don't like getting hyped about late lottery picks but I can see this guy translating to the NBA. LOVE his crafty finishes around the rim, very natural and smooth with some unique Eurostep type moves, and while this draft wasn't billed to be top heavy that doesn't mean there won't be quality players or star players from it, just there were no 'no-brainers'.

Really happy we drafted this guy, interestingly he is younger than a lot of freshmen in this draft even though he played 2 years college ball, and speed is a real asset in this league and I imagine it's rather coveted for the Pels as we're probably still going to play fast.

What are your initial takes on Kira Lewis?

[Pelicanidae]

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.

Also, check out that 4th clip w/the burst + live action LH pass right on the money. pic.twitter.com/EjsFRy2slt

— Spencer (@SKPearlman) June 10, 2020

Quick 1 min video on Kira Lewis showing a few things:

- 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

— Spencer (@SKPearlman) July 4, 2020

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.

[Pelicanidae]

Oh nice, jinx! I was just writing up one of these threads when you posted yours!

Your point about the youth is a big reason to be in on Kira. He was 17 as a freshman, so that meant he has a lot of experience under his belt for someone of his age, and although he was a sophomore he's still in a similar spot in his development to most freshmen this year. That's super encouraging for his development arc.

[new city champ]

Last year there was a part of me—a shameful and foolish part—that couldn’t help wishing that we had drafted Jah Morant instead of Zion, or at least that the Lakers draft pick had landed in the second slot so we could have had them both. As Zion sat sidelined, Morant was often electrifying slicing through NBA defenses with dazzling drives that made our guards look like plow horses.

Though it would be wrong to expect Kira to have the kind rookie season Morant turned in, they are similar enough to support hopes that Lewis may grow into becoming a Morant-like (worse dunks/better 3 pointers) force for the Pels in time. I suspect such hopes are in the minds of Griff and Langdon as well, not to mention Zion...

[Pelicanidae]

Last year there was a part of me—a shameful and foolish part—that couldn’t help wishing that we had drafted Jah Morant instead of Zion, or at least that the Lakers draft pick had landed in the second slot so we could have had them both. As Zion sat sidelined, Morant was often electrifying slicing through NBA defenses with dazzling drives that made our guards look like plow horses.

Though it would be wrong to expect Kira to have the kind rookie season Morant turned in, they are similar enough to support hopes that Lewis may grow into becoming a Morant-like (worse dunks/better 3 pointers) force for the Pels in time. I suspect such hopes are in the minds of Griff and Langdon as well, not to mention Zion...

Kira is a bit like Morant in a bunch of ways. I think he projects as a worse offensive player (he's not got Morant's vision or his vertical explosion) but probably a better defender, even if only by a little. He's like Morant lite, I guess, in some ways.

[GuardianAngel25]

I actually like this pick a lot. I think we are definitely going to end up moving some PGs to acquire more picks in the future or possibly a swap for a more needed position. I had 3 players I was hoping to get over Kira Lewis as my favorites for our team. My 1st was Tyrese Halliburton who I believe would have been an absolute great fit here as a PG. Since he was picked right before us I?m ok with it. My 2nd favorite was Aaron Nesmith SF/SG who is hands down the best shooter in college basketball. He was shooting a ridiculously high 52% from 3pt on 4.8 mpg while averaging 22 ppg.. My 3rd would have been to go with Aleksej Pokusevski. This kid is only 18 years old and could possibly be the best Dirk Nowitki. Once he puts on more weight and learns the game his potential is through the roof. Not only does he have talent but I thought what he could do would provide the biggest impact to our team due to his skills being able to fill arguably our biggest current need. I don’t think we are finished making big moves yet.

I think Kira has star potential and can be a huge addition to our team. If there was ever a team for his skill set to be taken to another level we are the perfect fit. He would be surrounded by some of the best and most complimentary group for his skills in the entire NBA. If he turns into a stud and reaches his potential then wow the NBA really better watch out! I think his player comparison is a lot like a De'Aaron Fox ceiling and possibly better. His floor is little worst of a Darren Collison.

[Impose]

Oh nice, jinx! I was just writing up one of these threads when you posted yours!

Your point about the youth is a big reason to be in on Kira. He was 17 as a freshman, so that meant he has a lot of experience under his belt for someone of his age, and although he was a sophomore he's still in a similar spot in his development to most freshmen this year. That's super encouraging for his development arc.

Haha, I don't post often but felt it was needed. I also didn't scout this year as much as I normally do so really only watched Kira play for the first time today. I am a bit excited to be honest and I genuinely think Griffin's private plan is to give Kira minutes and give Lonzo one more year to sort out his efficiency. I can't see Griff holding on to Lonzo if he puts in a dud year from FT and 3pt % perspective. I can see a situation where both Lonzo and Kira co-exist on a roster while hitting their potential, given Lonzo's size and Kira's catch and shoot ability they could work together long term. I think we did well today, and obviously having 2 1st rounders in every draft for the next 3 or 4 years gives us mass appeal to a team that's hitting the reset button.. So congrats Griff. I feel like NAW might be the guy to suffer from this and I do like NAW bit I can see Lewis being a far better player

[GuardianAngel25]

Haha, I don't post often but felt it was needed. I also didn't scout this year as much as I normally do so really only watched Kira play for the first time today. I am a bit excited to be honest and I genuinely think Griffin's private plan is to give Kira minutes and give Lonzo one more year to sort out his efficiency. I can't see Griff holding on to Lonzo if he puts in a dud year from FT and 3pt % perspective. I can see a situation where both Lonzo and Kira co-exist on a roster while hitting their potential, given Lonzo's size and Kira's catch and shoot ability they could work together long term. I think we did well today, and obviously having 2 1st rounders in every draft for the next 3 or 4 years gives us mass appeal to a team that's hitting the reset button.. So congrats Griff. I feel like NAW might be the guy to suffer from this and I do like NAW bit I can see Lewis being a far better player

Yea I agree we should be using this year to let Lonzo try and put it all together while still getting Kira a decent amount of minutes as our backup PG. You could also play them together at the same time since Lonzo is capable of being a SG. If Lonzo continues improving from 3pt and Kira can be a very good catch and shoot player they could both coexist very nicely. Lonzo is more of a combo guard imo and could possibly be even better at the 2 majority of the time. I still think Lonzo can take a huge step next year similar to Ingram but not necessarily at an elite level like he was. If he doesn’t show improvement I bet you the Charlotte Hornets would love to have him where he would be a great fit alongside his brother imo. They have lots of very good young players they could send to make a deal happen.

[luckyman]

I won't say much. I've been pumping his name on this site long enough.

One thing is he doesn't come into the league with a broken shot like Morant. He can space the floor. Secondly, lots of "scouters" never mention how willing he is to help out on the glass. He's had triple doubles that were points, rebounds, and assists.

His vision is fine, he's just not flashy with it. But when you have the speed he has you don't have to be.

[Pelicanidae]

Just out of curiosity, because I have a bad memory, I took a look back at the history of the 13th pick in the draft. Here's some of the best/worst/most interesting 13th picks that have come before our new friend Kira.

2019: Tyler Herro - Obviously we all know him and remember him because he's recent, great shooter and improving playmaker, played a huge role for Miami last season.
2018: Jerome Robinson - Picked before MPJ, DiVincenzo, Huerter, and several others, Robinson has played 1299 minutes so far in two seasons and is not a rising star.
2017: Donovan Mitchell - Currently coming off a smoking hot playoff run for Utah, Donovan Mitchell is, as we all know, a promising young scorer leading a playoff team.
2016: Georgios Papagiannis - He's out of the NBA, with fewer than 500 career minutes. Picked before Pascal Siakam, Dejounte Murray, and Malcolm Brogdon.
2015: Devin Booker - He's Devin Booker. All star, top tier scorer with increasing playmaking chops, one of the league's brightest young stars.
2014: Zach Lavine - Great shooter and scorer for the Bulls, not good at much else, but hey, scoring is valuable.
2013: Kelly Olynyk - Arch Roleplayer and stretch 5, he's a decent player overall but not a franchise changer or anything.
2012: Kendall Marshall - Playing a total of about 3000 career minutes, he was picked between Jeremy Lamb and John Henson. Never averaged more than 8ppg.
2011: Markieff Morris - He's a Morris twin. Can't really remember if he's the good one or the one who sucks.
2010: Ed Davis - He's been valuable in some places as a rebounder, but seemed to fall off the planet after leaving Brooklyn.
2009: Tyler Hansborough - picked 4 spots ahead of Jrue Holiday, Hansborough played 7000 minutes total in his career compared to Jrue's 23000 so far.
2008: Brandon Rush - Picked immediately before Robin Lopez, Anthony Randolph, and Marreese Speights, Rush was a roleplayer with a suprisingly cool name.
2007: Julian Wright - Playing barely 3000 minutes before his career was over, Wright's career high was 20 which he had as a rookie for the Hornets.
2006: Thabo Sefalosha - Carving out a successful roleplayer career, Sefalosha has two names that my word processor refuses to acknowledge as words.
2005: Sean May - Playing less than 2000 minutes total, he was picked ahead of Danny Granger, Gerald Green, Nate Robinson, David Lee, Jarrett Jack, and Lou Williams.
2004: Sebastian Telfair - He's Sebastian Telfair.
2003: Marcus Banks - He's Marcus Banks.
2002: Marcus Haislip - He played fewer than 100 career games and averaged 3.5 points per game over that span.
2001: Richard Jefferson - Being the baldest man on a Lebron James team isn't easy, but he did it and he dunked on Durant at the same time. Well done!
2000: Courtney Alexander - Played about 4000 career minutes.

As you an see, the quality of the average 13th pick has gone up quite drastically in recent years. Lets hope Kira continues the trend.

[DaPelFromHell]

I hope the De’Aaron Fox comparisons come to fruition cause that would be a perfect fit. Their speed is for certain. I think a Lonzo & Kira backcourt could possibly work for a year than we move Lonzo next offseason or during the season. Kira is the future at the point guard position for the Pels

[donato]

Lonzo's contract is up after this season I thought. He would have to be traded now/before the deadline, signed to a significant $$$ deal, or he walks.

[As I See It]

Lonzo's contract is up after this season I thought. He would have to be traded now/before the deadline, signed to a significant $$$ deal, or he walks.

Or we can kick the tires again next year like we did this year with BI.

[Pelicanidae]

Lonzo's contract is up after this season I thought. He would have to be traded now/before the deadline, signed to a significant $$$ deal, or he walks.

His contract does end after this season. A huge part of why I want to trade him is that I think he's going to be expensive to retain and therefore not worth it given his standard of performance.

[donato]

Or we can kick the tires again next year like we did this year with BI.

I think that’s well implied in the “sign him or let him walk” section of my post. The question is, is it worth kicking the tires or is the team better off getting something for him now. Ingram made a big jump, but going into last year felt less risky than Lonzo does now IMO.

[pelafanatic]

Getting a little bit ahead of myself here, but I think Kira and Jax could be an elite PnR combo with the combination of Kira's speed and ability to both pull up from 3 or drive to the rim and Jaxson's elite ability to vertically space the floor. If Kira fine tune's his mid range/floater game, I'm not really sure how you stop that combo. There aren't many teams that have a big that can both stand his ground with Kira's elite speed and drop and contest against Jax's elite verticality.

In comparison to Ja, he's obviously one of a kind when it comes to speed and athleticism. It'll be a long time before we see another player like Ja. While Kira might not have half the finishing ability of Ja at the moment, Kira is ahead of the curve is his ability to pull it from 3. He's already good as an off the ball set shooter, and has a blossoming pull up game off the dribble. I think this is the skill that the Pels should put the most eggs in in terms of player development. If teams have to respect Kirals pull up, he's nearly unguardable in the PnR because of his speed

[Pelicanidae]

Getting a little bit ahead of myself here, but I think Kira and Jax could be an elite PnR combo with the combination of Kira's speed and ability to both pull up from 3 or drive to the rim and Jaxson's elite ability to vertically space the floor. If Kira fine tune's his mid range/floater game, I'm not really sure how you stop that combo. There aren't many teams that have a big that can both stand his ground with Kira's elite speed and drop and contest against Jax's elite verticality.

Kira shot 42% from the short midrange/floaters last year in college. That's not elite, but it's at a point where it's a potential weapon fairly early. It's part of what is so encouraging about his finishing potential long term: there's clearly touch there. Once he adds some core strength, which will naturally happen as he gains some weight and ages, I see no reason why he can't be at least an okay finisher even if he's bad in that particular area early on.

He was much worse from long midrange (like, low 30s I think? Can't remember) just for the record, take that for whatever you like.

[AUSSIE_PELICAN]

It's going to be totally awkward when Kira asks Lonzo for the number 2 jersey.

[Pelicanidae]

It's going to be totally awkward when Kira asks Lonzo for the number 2 jersey.

No need to make it awkward at all! Just trade Lonzo.

[AUSSIE_PELICAN]

No need to make it awkward at all! Just trade Lonzo.

Yeah I don't see that happening, just yet.

[pelafanatic]

No need to make it awkward at all! Just trade Lonzo.

I have to admit, I like the fit with Kira and Lonzo long term. I see no reason to trade Lonzo right now if you can't get positive value for him

[Pelicanidae]

I have to admit, I like the fit with Kira and Lonzo long term. I see no reason to trade Lonzo right now if you can't get positive value for him

Addition by subtraction is a thing, and so is value cost.

Lonzo being on the court actively damages your halfcourt offense, so there's an extent to which moving him and giving his minutes to Kira, or Hill, would improve the on-court situation. We can dispute whether or not the loss in the fullcourt would counteract that, but it's a discussion to be had, at least.

As for value cost, you have to think: we have less than 3 months until the trade deadline, since despite the late start those dates are remaining standard. We have to make a decision between now and then whether we're willing to pay him what is fairly likely to be a good chunk of money: top 3 overall picks who have hype huge and followings get made offers, especially when they're still fairly young. I feel like the gap between what he has shown so far in his career and where he would need to be to justify that payment is so large that it's almost impossible to imagine him making it up: it would have to be equal to or potentially even larger than the leap Ingram took last year, and that itself was unlikely. So the ''long term'' thing you mention comes under threat: we don't have him ''long term'' as it currently stands, and the cost of keeping him ''long term'' is very likely to be far more than he's worth. Therefore, you circle back around to trying to move him now for some kind of asset.

[Impose]

Addition by subtraction is a thing, and so is value cost.

Lonzo being on the court actively damages your halfcourt offense, so there's an extent to which moving him and giving his minutes to Kira, or Hill, would improve the on-court situation. We can dispute whether or not the loss in the fullcourt would counteract that, but it's a discussion to be had, at least.

As for value cost, you have to think: we have less than 3 months until the trade deadline, since despite the late start those dates are remaining standard. We have to make a decision between now and then whether we're willing to pay him what is fairly likely to be a good chunk of money: top 3 overall picks who have hype huge and followings get made offers, especially when they're still fairly young. I feel like the gap between what he has shown so far in his career and where he would need to be to justify that payment is so large that it's almost impossible to imagine him making it up: it would have to be equal to or potentially even larger than the leap Ingram took last year, and that itself was unlikely. So the ''long term'' thing you mention comes under threat: we don't have him ''long term'' as it currently stands, and the cost of keeping him ''long term'' is very likely to be far more than he's worth. Therefore, you circle back around to trying to move him now for some kind of asset.

Excluding his play in the bubble, Lonzo was on a very positive trajectory last season. I can see the reasoning to be decisive and say 'well, we're not sold, and don't want to match a stupid offer, lets move on now'. But shooting is one of those things that can get better with age. If it was his awareness, or lack of defense, or his attitude, then maybe. But Lonzo's issue was his horrid shooting form, and that is being fixed, and just needs reps... Lots and lots of reps. Vincent is one guy we kept on, and he got credited with the work on Lonzo's shooting form, I think the team is going to trust that process.

Kira compliments Lonzo well and vice versa. I can see Lonzo spending time in the spot up/floor spacer role while Kira's on the court and I started to trust Lonzo as a spot up shooter pre-covid. Kira will beat everyone down the floor with or without the ball and Lonzo is the best full court passer in the league, could mean a lot of easy hoops. Having two guys on the floor that can run the offense gives you an advantage where the other team can't stifle you with one defensive specialist.

If I'm Griff I'm letting Lonzo set his own value. Maybe he tanks maybe he excels, maybe he just proves to be above average at everything and have elite passing (which is my suspicion) I don't think he'll command max offers based on that.

[13 - 3]

Roooollllll Tide

[smcgull]

PG---Lonzo
SG---Kira
SF---Brandon
PF---Zion
C----Jaxson

If not this season, maybe next.