The New Orleans Pelicans have some exciting young talent other than superstar Zion Williamson.
Both Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker made some strides in their second seasons and hope to make even more with increased roles in year three.
Kira Lewis Jr. is following a similar trajectory, as the 20-year-old point guard had some nice moments for the Pelicans this season but also looked lost at times, like a guy who could have used some time in the G-League.
Lewis Jr. was not afforded that luxury in a COVID-shortened season with no real G-League to send him to, so instead he got his reps off the Pelicans’ bench.
There were plenty of positives, as Kira Lewis Jr. showed he can make plays and take care of the ball, logging the 8th-best assist to turnover ratio in the league.
But he also showed some massive flaws that he is going to have to fix if he wants to be an impact player in the NBA.
New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr. must improve his shooting
The most obvious problem in Lewis Jr.’s game is that he shot the ball poorly in his rookie season. He shot just 39 percent overall and just 33 percent from 3-point range, numbers that aren’t going to cut it for a point guard in this era.
Many think the Pelicans missed an opportunity to grab a plus shooter in the last NBA Draft, so Lewis Jr. is going to need to pick it up to avoid these types of negative comparisons.
Lewis Jr. is lightning quick, there is no denying that, but so far he hasn’t been able to finish in the lane or shoot off the catch, two things the Pelicans are going to need from him.
New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr. must improve his decision making
Part of the reason Lewis Jr. struggled to shoot was that he was indecisive with the ball, especially in the paint.
Lewis Jr. can get wherever he wants on the floor and is very good using his speed to get into the paint, but once he gets there he isn’t sure what he wants to do with it.
This is typical of rookie point guards, and something that will improve with increased playing time, but there were a lot of plays where it was clear that Lewis Jr. jumped before he knew what he wanted to do with the ball, which led to a lot of off-balanced and timid shots that looked like an afterthought.
Kira needs to look to score in these situations first and pass second, as it is much easier to pass out of shot than shoot out of a pass.
Lewis Jr. was also indecisive in the pick-and-roll, often unsure of when to pull up for the shot, try to get to the hoop or pass to the roller.
All of these things will come with time, and it’s important to mention that he had no training camp or Summer League to work with last offseason, so he did pretty well considering the lack of preparation, a good sign that he’ll improve.
New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr. needs to improve off the ball
One area where nearly the entire Pelicans’ roster can improve is on catch-and-shoot attempts.
Zion Williamson is going to have the ball in his hands a lot, so everyone around him needs to be good at catching the ball and shooting it off his kick outs. The Pelicans were fairly abysmal in this category, especially Kira Lewis Jr., who made just 36 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts.
This is why he was a fairly odd choice for he Pelicans in the NBA Draft, as he is a player who also needs the ball in his hands to be effective, which just isn’t going to happen much unless Zion Williamson is on the bench.
Lewis Jr. is at his best when he is breaking down a defense off the dribble and kicking it out, but if he wants to continue to get minutes on the Pelicans, he is going to have to improve off the ball, especially in catch-and-shoot situations.
Although I like Kira Lewis Jr. as a player, he was not the greatest fit with Zion Williamson from the start, and will need to improve his overall shooting and decision-making if he is going to have an impact future for the New Orleans Pelicans.