Subscribe
Follow Us
The New Orleans Pelicans got back to their winning ways on Tuesday but Kira Lewis Jr. was on the bench for all but two minutes of the blowout. It is a trend worth watching as trade rumors start to trickle out. Lewis Jr. started the season as one of the first reserves to check in but the 13th pick of the 2020 NBA Draft has played less than 10 total minutes in the last three games.
James Borrego was the acting head coach in the Pelicans' first In-Season Tournament win as Willie Green watched from home due to a non-COVID illness. It likely did not matter who was in the lead chair last night though. Lewis Jr. has played more than 12 minutes just 3 times this season. He was a DNP-CD in a three-point loss at Houston (11/10), got 7 minutes in a 12-point loss in Dallas (11/12), and logged only 2 minutes in a 21-point win at home versus the Mavericks (11/14).
His minutes have been reduced drastically and there does not seem to be an urgency to find him more playing time either. The Pelicans had a 33-point lead over the Mavericks early in the 4th quarter. New Orleans were up 123-93 with just over 8 minutes remaining. Still, Lewis Jr. was not given the green light to rip off the warmup outfit for another 5 minutes. The Alabama alum finished with 2 points in 2:03 of action.
Early expectations, delayed development for Kira Lewis
Green said before the Pelicans season started, “Kira can be dangerous with his speed on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he can make everybody run with him. Defensively, picking up fullcourt 94 feet, turning guards, making it hard on them, so that they can’t run their offense. Kira is having an outstanding camp. We look forward to his continued growth.”
The problem is it is hard to see much development when Lewis Jr. is on the court. He is averaging just 3.5 points, 1.6 assists, and 1 rebound. The 6'1”, 170-pound point guard has made just one three-pointer all season (13 attempts), leading to defenders sagging off to clog other passing lanes. Opposing teams seek to expose Lewis Jr.'s defense on almost every possession too. Frankly, the Pelicans need more from their bench than Lewis Jr. has been able to provide in limited minutes.
The Pelicans have been running skeleton crew rotations the last few games since a handful of key contributors were out injured. If ever there were a time to experiment and see just how far Lewis Jr. has come since being drafted, this was the week to do so. There have been chances to get Lewis Jr. more minutes but the coaching staff has just passed. Instead, Lewis Jr. has languished on the bench.
It's a tough situation for both Lewis Jr. and the team's front office. The Pelicans hoped Lewis Jr. would be the team's spark plug off the bench when drafting him three years ago. Unfortunately due to injuries and the NBA's pandemic pause, Lewis Jr. has played only 1595 minutes over 113 games. Now his skillset is likely surplus to requirements, making the soon-to-be restricted free agent prime trade material.
Jordan Hawkins, Dyson Daniels, and Jose Alvarado have all jumped Lewis Jr. on the depth chart. Hawkins is a far better floor-spacing shooter and ball-handler. Daniels is a near-elite defender; Lewis Jr. is below-average at best. Alvarado is better in all facets of the game except straight-line speed. Mr. GTA also brings more energy into the Smoothie King Center than the Entergy Corp.
Lewis Jr. is just far too quiet on the court far too often. It's easy to miss him even when playing. And that's just focusing on talent alone. Add in the luxury tax implications and it's easy to see why the Kira Lewis Jr. is very likely to depart New Orleans sooner rather than later.
