Kira Lewis Jr. was impressive for the New Orleans Pelicans in his first real action.
The New Orleans Pelicans were hoping to see Kira Lewis Jr. at some point this season and that day came sooner than expected with injuries to Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe forcing him into action.
The rookie got his first real run of the season against the Los Angeles Clippers, one of the best teams in the NBA.
Lewis Jr. was thrown directly into the fire and the Pelicans have to be happy about what they saw.
It’s too early to know what Kira Lewis Jr. can be in the NBA, but signs are that the Pels have something special in the 19-year-old point guard.
Here’s what we know so far.
New Orleans Pelicans: What we learned about Kira Lewis Jr.
He can fly
As advertised, Kira Lewis Jr. is lighting fast, which is especially obvious when he has the ball in his hands. Twice he grabbed rebounds in the game that he took up the floor himself and still beat just about everyone to the other end.
Speed is something you can’t teach and Lewis Jr. has it, but I was more impressed with how under control he played.
I expected him to be flying around wildly, playing too fast and making a lot of mistakes but he only turned the ball over once and looked completely in control running the offense.
He was disciplined in the pick-and-roll which looks like a weapon the Pels can use off the bench.
He’s not scared
Kira Lewis Jr. weighs about 160 lbs. and that is only if his hair is soaking wet. He obviously needs to put on some strength as he matures and that will come with time.
But small or not, he is not scared.
Lewis Jr. took it right into the teeth of the Clippers’ defense several times, showing no hesitation pulling up for a mid-range jumper or taking it all the way to the rim for floaters. He did miss a couple of bunnies at the rim, but Lewis Jr. went into the lane with the intention of scoring first and passing second.
We saw this with Nickeil Alexander-Walker as well, which is an element that the Pels’ offense has been missing. Dribble penetration leads to high percentage shots at the rim or kick-outs to open shooters.
The Pels’ young guard is not afraid to get into the lane. With his size, speed and fearlessness, he reminded me a bit of Allen Iverson. I’m not saying he’s that good, but he’s got a little of Iverson’s fearlessness in him.
He can shoot
One of the knocks against Kira Lewis Jr. coming in is that his shot needed work. But both Stan Van Gundy and J.J. Redick raved about his shooting before the start of the season and they look to be correct.
Not only is his shot not broken, he looked smooth and confident firing away. He hit 2-of-3 from long range and didn’t hesitate to let them fly.
He showed his ability from 3-point range as well as the ability to pull up from the free-throw line.
Kira Lewis Jr. only played 16 minutes against the Clippers but he turned some heads with his speed, control, fearlessness and shooting ablity.
It looks like the New Orleans Pelicans may have something here and it will be interesting to see if Kira Lewis Jr. continues to get minutes once everyone is healthy.