NBA Draft: Detroit Pistons could target Kira Lewis Jr.

The Detroit Pistons could use their pick in the 2020 NBA Draft to target Alabama Point Guard Kira Lewis Jr.

The 2020 NBA Draft class is loaded with potential at the point guard position. In an ideal world, this is what the Detroit Pistons will zero in on when they make their selection at 7th overall.

If everything goes according to plan and the Pistons do end up with a point guard, a majority of fans would prefer that it be either Killian Hayes or Tyrese Haliburton. However, this draft is setting itself up to be more unpredictable than it’s been in recent years.

Outside of LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards, there seems to be a lack of agreement on where to value seemingly every single player in this class. Hayes for example, has been mocked anywhere from fourth overall all the way down to fourteenth. There’s no consensus beliefs here.

Kira Lewis Jr. however began to slowly rise up the boards of experts all over the league in these last few months. Lewis was once predicted to land somewhere in the second round, and has since been projected somewhere in the 10-20 range.

In his two seasons at Alabama, Lewis 15.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game on 45.9 percent shooting, including 36.6 percent from three-point range.

It doesn’t take much film review to see that he’s arguably the fastest player in this entire draft. His ability to get from one end of the floor to the other is almost second to none, and combined with his crafty shot creating ability, Lewis is a legitimate offensive threat.

Outside of Derrick Rose, the Pistons didn’t have many players last season that could consistently attack and finish at the rim. Their guard play was often limited and they were relegated into lesser roles.

Lewis’ ability to create and finish through contact at the rim would be a valuable asset in Detroit. He can finish with either hand and can frequently hit difficult looks with a defender latched onto him.

One of the things that Reggie Jackson did best with the Pistons was hitting his coveted floater from the middle of the lane. Buckle up Pistons fans, Lewis has a pretty consistent one himself.

While it’s not by any means a 1:1 comparison, the closest thing to Lewis that we have in the league today is De’Aaron Fox. Lewis doesn’t possess the strength or the occasional explosion that Fox displays, they both have similar play styles.

Lewis does a good job of blending his jump shooting and his looks at the rim. Both are relatively easy for him to create.

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His court vision is an ever improving product, but he’ll do enough to make a sizable impact on whatever team ends up with him. He does a really nice job of locating shooters along the perimeter, but his vision tends to fall off beyond that.

Between forced passes and missed reads, he’s got work to do, but nothing that having Rose, Blake Griffin and Luke Kennard can’t fix. The spacing that Detroit brings to the table could go a long way for Lewis offensively.

Defensively, the area that can make or break your spot in the rotation on a Dwane Casey led team, Lewis is a good defender with people that fit within his frame, but that’s currently it. He’s currently 6’3″ which is around the standard for modern guards, but they’re only getting bigger.

His close outs are sharp, he’s pesky, and his footwork and overall stances are about what you’d hope for in a top ten pick. He averaged 1.8 steals per game at Alabama last season and showed that he’s able to use his quickness to jump passing lanes.

Overall, his potential on the defensive end is limited, but Detroit wouldn’t have to hide him. He’s capable of holding his own.

Lewis would in all likelihood be a fail safe option for the Pistons, but one that fans should feel more than comfortable with. As was mentioned before, this class is loaded with potential at the point guard position.

Lewis may fall through the cracks a bit and could easily come away as the steal of the draft. It’s entirely within the realm of possibility that in the right system he could average 15 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds per game in his first season.

If Detroit’s first few options are off the board at 7th, Lewis could make a legitimate impact on this team.