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Maxwell Lewis was once a projected lottery pick right before conference play had started but since then his stock has slightly taken a hit due to team struggles and some inconsistent play by him. He’s projected to be the second Pepperdine player taken since 2005, following in the footsteps of Kessler Edwards.
Let’s dive into some of the strengths he possesses and his biggest area of improvement.
Shot-Making and Shot-Creation Skills
Lewis is one of the most skilled wings in the draft and it shouldn’t get overlooked. He has the handle to create the space needed off the dribble and possesses a good change of pace. He can make difficult pull-up jumpers from three and the mid-range comfortably. Combine that with his smooth pull-up shooting ability and it gives you a talented scorer with size.
He has a smoothness to his game that you don’t see often from mid-major players. The game comes easy to Lewis and if he can continue to improve upon his shot selection and consistency, he has the chance to be a star player in the NBA if everything hits.
Shooting Ability
The combination of his size and high level shooting ability gives Lewis a safe floor. Although his 3-point percentage dropped in conference play, I still buy the touch, smooth shot mechanics, and the overall shot versatility he puts on display when he plays. He’s an elite shooter off the catch that has good shot preparation.
Lewis can come off a variety of different off-ball screens and comfortably square up and get into his jumper smoothly. He’s a bit inconsistent as an outside shooter but part of that could’ve been because of the team he’s on. With better talent around him in the NBA and more floor spacing, he’ll thrive as an overall scorer and shooter.
Playmaking Flashes
The improvements he has shown as a passer this year is pretty eye opening but with that being said, it’s basically just flashes at this point. Lewis is at his best as a playmaker out of the pick and roll. He does a great job at feeding the big with a variety of different passes and will occasionally hit the spot-up shooters on a basic read.
He’ll need to get a little more comfortable making good passes in traffic but that’ll come as he matures over time. The upside to be a legit secondary playmaker is there but cleaning up Lewis’ questionable decision-making, passing accuracy, and reads will be vital for him if he wants to reach his ceiling as a playmaker.
Biggest Area of Improvement
Lewis has the tools to be a good defender but he’s far from good on that end right now. He has struggled all year long to defend on and off the ball. The main issues include his poor defensive positioning as it always seems as if he was just slightly out of position. He struggles with the little details but it’s the little details on defense that really matters. Lewis did lack a degree of energy and a motor on defense which could be because of how bad his team played all year long.
The team success definitely took a toll on him, particularly in conference play as he just wasn’t playing like himself. His on-ball defense was tough to watch at times as he’s often in an upright stance which led to him getting blown-by a lot of the times. Getting lower and into a better stance will help him contain ball-handlers. It may take time until Lewis is a positive defender on the court, but if an NBA team stays patient with him on that end, he could become a very valuable two-way player.
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