SACRAMENTO — The burst?
For Kira Lewis, it’s like it never left.
Late in the third quarter of Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, Lewis effortlessly turned on his afterburner. He caught the ball near his own team’s free-throw line. In four dribbles, he flew past three defenders and scored on Draymond Green at the rim, despite getting hit on the wrist.
“I feel like the burst is back,” Lewis said.
“I saw everyone was fanned out. My guys were running. So they created a lane for me. I saw Draymond was in foul trouble. Put him in a predicament in the restricted area to make a play. It worked out.”
Lewis tore the ACL in his right knee in December 2021. The recovery process essentially wiped out his second season and took nearly one year to complete. Lewis played for the Pelicans for the first time post-injury in December. In the past month, he has started to earn rotation minutes while many of the Pelicans’ regulars have been injured.
Lewis scored nine points in 10 minutes Friday. With his ability to dust defenders off the dribble, Lewis remains an intriguing young player. The Pelicans used the 13th pick in the 2020 draft on him. Although Lewis spent two years in college at Alabama and is in his third season as a pro, he is still only 21 years old. He celebrates his 22nd birthday next month.
“It’s crazy, man,” Lewis said. “Everything I’ve been through in these three years, I have learned a lot. Like you said, man, I’m 21. Turn 22 in a few months. I just look forward to learning every day from the guys I’m playing with, competing against. And getting better.”
Lewis’ speed comes from his mother, Natasha, who was a sprinter. Lewis said his mother encouraged him to run track as a kid, but he never did. He played basketball, baseball and football. On the gridiron, he was a corner back and wide receiver.
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