Kira Lewis Jr.

[Mainstreet]

Kira Lewis Jr. is a 19.02 year old sophomore point guard prospect from Alabama. He is listed at 6' 3" and 165 pounds.

In an article directed towards the Knicks using the second of their first round picks, Fran Fraschilla of ESPN describes him as such:


“He’s still one of the youngest kids in the draft,’’ Fraschilla said of Lewis. “He’s arguably the fastest player in this draft. The crazy thing is he has played two full seasons in the SEC and doesn’t turn 20 until next April.


“If you want a sleeper, if they take (forwards Obi) Toppin or James Wiseman in the lottery and are looking to take a point guard, the first guy I’d look at is Lewis. He’s Ja Morant Lite and he started his career in the SEC as a 17-year-old.”

https://nypost.com/2020/04/06/nba-draft-2020-knicks-could-steal-kira-lewis-at-end-of-first-round/

In Kira's second year with Alabama he averaged 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists.

Tankathon has ranked #21 in their current mock and ESPN #25.

 

[Mainstreet]

Here is some video which breaks down Kira Lewis Jr.' game in terms of strengths and areas for improvement.

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[Mainstreet]

One thing that caught my eye about Lewis in the videos, he tends to prefer finishing soft at the rim when driving the ball hard to the basket or a dunk would be better.

Lewis seems athletic enough so perhaps this can be corrected by working with a trainer adding muscle and weight.

 

[Raze]

Ja Morant Lite is pretty accurate. Loves to attack the basketball and pass on the drive. Super fast with the ball. Will live off of the P&R in the NBA. A decent shooter who is still learning when and when not to shoot. A little professional training can smooth his shot out.

A good defender, but doesn't realize he could be elite. Thrives on anticipating passes and gobbling up steals. Loves to bait.

Really good rebounder. His excellent timing on boards is right in line with his great timing on steals and even blocks. Will even put a body on a guy 10+ feet from the rim (not common for today's Gs).

He has some natural abilities that can't be taught: speed and timing. I also like that he's looking for teammates on the drive. Shows natural PG tendencies. Has a way to go, but he shows promise.

Here's Alabama vs Auburn on Jan 15th. Kira has a decent game as an OG, not great film as a PG. Attacks the rim again and again. Okoro and he go head to head a hand full of times. Kira gets the better of him. (For the life of me, I don't understand the love for Okoro).

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[1Sun]

Would need a lot more weight/strength to survive in the NBA, and it's a question if he could acquire that without sacrificing his speed and athleticism.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

One thing that caught my eye about Lewis in the videos, he tends to prefer finishing soft at the rim when driving the ball hard to the basket or a dunk would be better.

Lewis seems athletic enough so perhaps this can be corrected by working with a trainer adding muscle and weight.

I’m not sure he’s got the athleticism to finish with a dunk everything seems below the rim.

 

[Mainstreet]

I’m not sure he’s got the athleticism to finish with a dunk everything seems below the rim.

This puzzled me as well. I'm not sure if Lewis can't do it or he is hesitant to do it because of his slender build. I've seen Lewis dunk a few times but nothing really with authority. It could be something he has learned to avoid. He seems fairly athletic otherwise.

 

[JerkFace]

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[JerkFace]

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[JerkFace]

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[Mainstreet]

One thing that caught my eye about Lewis in the videos, he tends to prefer finishing soft at the rim when driving the ball hard to the basket or a dunk would be better.

Lewis seems athletic enough so perhaps this can be corrected by working with a trainer adding muscle and weight.

I was watching Cam Payne in the Suns-Raptors scrimmage today. He tends to have the same problem not finishing plays strong at the rim.

Can't flip those balls up there soft to bounce around and hope they go in.

 

[Proximo]

Would need a lot more weight/strength to survive in the NBA, and it's a question if he could acquire that without sacrificing his speed and athleticism.

Um, that hasn't stopped Morant from dominating. I'm not buying that he needs weight at all.

 

[1Sun]

Um, that hasn't stopped Morant from dominating. I'm not buying that he needs weight at all.

Morant has at least 10-15 pounds on Lewis, and Morant is slightly shorter.