Arizona basketball guard makes huge announcement after NBA Combine

The NBA Combine is nearly complete and prospects are making their decision to either enter the draft or return to college if they still have eligibility. From the sounds of it, the Arizona basketball program got a big boost on Friday after one of their top guards made a huge announcement.

KJ Lewis took to social media to announce his return to the Wildcats after participating in the NBA Combine. He thanked the Wildcats program along with his family and friends. He led it off to believe he was declaring for the NBA Draft, but instead, he'll be returning to Arizona for his sophomore season.

Lewis only averaged 18 minutes per game last season, making him more of a role player than anything else. However, he proved to be reliable in his limited time on the floor. The Arizona basketball guard averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He'll want to work on his three-point shooting, as he shot just 34.1 percent from beyond the arch. But the Wildcats will have a solid guard to continue building the roster around for next season.

This is a smart move for KJ Lewis. He'll have a chance to play another year of college ball and potentially raise his draft stock for the 2025 NBA Draft. If he can improve his play and produce more for the Arizona basketball team, then the Wildcats could be a problem next season.

Arizona basketball's future outlook

The Arizona basketball program is in good hands with Tommy Lloyd leading the way. He has a ton of experience and has already made some noise as the head coach of the Wildcats. Lloyd began his career as an assistant at Gonzaga. After working there for just over 20 years, he eventually became the head coach of the Wildcats in 2021.

He's led the Wildcats to two tournament appearances in four years, the last appearance coming in the 2023 season. The Arizona basketball team must find a way to get back to the big dance. So, having KJ Lewis return is a big deal. They can rely on him to help any newcomers while he also develops his game. Additionally, Lewis brings familiarity to the roster, which exactly what the Arizona basketball program needs.

With that said, it'll be interesting to see how the Wildcats handle playing in the Big 12 Conference. The competition level has become a bit more difficult. So the Arizona basketball team will have to play hard to just to compete for a chance at the NCAA Tournament. Despite that, Tommy Lloyd has the experience to coach his team to a the tournament. So, hopefully, they can put it all together and play much more competitively next season and beyond.