Lakers News: Reporter Unpacks High Upside Of No. 40 Pick Maxwell Lewis
After much debate centered around what the Los Angeles Lakers would do with their first round pick in the 2023 NBA draft, the Lakers held firm on that end Thursday night, keeping the pick and using it to select Jalen Hood-Scifino.
Los Angeles made it interesting with their second round pick, moving up to No. 40 in a deal with the Pacers, a pick that they ultimately used to draft forward Maxwell Lewis out of Pepperdine.
On first glance, Lewis fills a significant need for the Lakers as he's a quality three point shooter, putting them in at a 35 percent clip over his two years in college.
And The Athletic's Jovan Buha took a deep dive into Lewis' game, including what may have made the Lakers front office covet him enough to essentially trade up to bring him on board.
"Lewis, who will turn 21 next month, is a knockdown shooter who made 35.4 percent on 3s in his two seasons at Pepperdine. He uses his size well offensively, exploiting mismatches by either flipping in hook shots or turning and shooting over smaller defenders in the post. At this point, his most NBA-ready skill appears to be his catch-and-shoot ability.
Given his athleticism, Lewis is a dynamic transition threat who can blow by defenders and throw down highlight-reel dunks. He often wins vertical battles against opponents. He’s also a good cutter and relocator who has a knack for finding openings in defenses (a trait that’ll pair well with James)." (via Jovan Buha of The Athletic)
His catch-and-shoot ability will serve Lewis very well in the Lakers offense, as a good portion of it is predicated on LeBron James' drive and kick ability. If Lewis is able to translate his great three point game up to the NBA level, LA may have found quite a gem in the second half of the draft.
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