When your Los Angeles Lakers traded up with the Indiana Pacers to acquire pick number 40 in the 2023 NBA Draft, it was met with some confusion. The team paid about $4 million in order to make the deal happen, which is quite a bit more than organizations would pay to only move up seven spots.
But everyone knew that the Lakers must have had their eyes on someone that they really liked. You don't make a move like that unless that's the case.
The team ended up selecting forward Maxwell Lewis from Pepperdine University, who many people were ecstatic about them getting.
As the NBA summer league started, fans wanted to see how Lewis would perform against higher level competition. However, his performances were a little up and down during the games. He now projects as a longer-termed project for the Lakers after the subpar start to his career.
J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer broke down his thoughts on Lewis and how he projects going forward.
"Enthusiasm cooled on him, and he slipped to 40," Mann wrote. "But Lewis’s size, athleticism, and activity translated in Vegas, although his decision-making and efficiency weren’t the best. He looked particularly uncomfortable when forced to improvise his shot mechanics. He could be a factor someday for this team, but he could also be a shoulder shrug."
The hype around Lewis is still there but people wanted to see more from him. He looked timid and like he didn't want to make mistakes at times. It will probably take him some time to adjust to the NBA game but with his skillset, he should be okay.
Between the young players that the Lakers got on draft night this year, Lewis is probably the biggest question mark and that isn't something many people believed after he was selected.
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