Pelicans take Alabama’s Lewis with 13th pick in NBA draft

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans selected 6-foot-3 Alabama guard Kira Lewis Jr. 13th overall in the NBA draft on Wednesday night.

The 19-year-old Lewis joins a team headlined by 2019 first overall draft choice Zion Williamson and first-time All-Star forward Brandon Ingram, who also was named the NBA’s most improved player last season.

Lewis also becomes the first draft pick of newly hired coach Stan Van Gundy’s tenure as Pelicans coach.

Lewis averaged 18.5 points, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game as a sophomore last season, highlighted by his career-high 37 point outburst against Georgia. He shot 44.7% and was an All-SEC first team selection. He also made 56 3-pointers last season, shooting 36.6% from that range.

“I look forward to playing with Zion, him getting out in transition, looking for lobs, the athlete he is, how explosive he is,” Lewis said. “We’re going to feed off the excitement it’s going to bring to the team.”

Lewis is a combo guard, much like Jrue Holiday, who is expected to be traded to Milwaukee in an agreed-upon multi-team deal that has yet to become official.

While Lonzo Ball is New Orleans’ incumbent starting point guard, Lewis could potentially join Ball in the back court or back him up off the bench.

Lewis said he sees the Pelicans as an “up and coming team.”

“I feel like we can push to the next level,” Lewis said. “When I got called, I was very excited because that was one of the teams that I felt like I could come in and help with.

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