New Orleans Pelicans: 3 things the Pels learned without Zion and Ingram
By Vance Abreu
New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr. may take longer than anticipated
Change of pace guards in today’s NBA are a god-send for teams who utilize them properly. The dynamic guard out of Alabama possesses the court speed matched by few. Selecting Lewis Jr in the draft was executed to provide the defense with a different look compared to Lonzo Ball, Eric Bledsoe and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
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The flashes are there, figuratively and literally. Few match Lewis Jr’s speed in the NBA. For stretches of games, he regularly looks like a rookie De’Aaron Fox or Collin Sexton. Recently, Lewis Jr has struggled after seemingly hitting the rookie wall. In a stretch where young players minutes are increasing, Lewis Jr’s are hovering roughly around his season averages.
There were minutes to be won with injuries to Williamson and Ingram, but he has shown to struggle in the current setting. More than anything, his shooting, which was heavily criticized entering the league, has fallen off.
The hope was by year two Lewis Jr could be the sixth man for the franchise. The recent production is not concerning given the lack of preseason and team practices, but year two may not be the breakout year we all hope.