NBA Draft Player Profile: Maxwell Lewis

Jun 8, 2023, 9:36 AM

SPOKANE, WA - DECEMBER 31: Pepperdine Waves forward Maxwell Lewis (24) jumps and lays the ball in t...

(Photo by Oliver McKenna/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

We are just over two weeks away from June 22nd’s NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, meaning that it’s time to look at some potential picks for the Sacramento Kings’ 24th selection.

After drafting All-Rookie First Team forward Keegan Murray (fourth pick) last summer, the Kings will look to build off of its recent draft success by adding another young talent to its up-and-coming roster.

What type of player does Sacramento need to add to a team that just enjoyed its first NBA Playoff experience in nearly 20 years?

Over the next two weeks, Sactown Sports 1140 will provide you with profiles and players expected to be on the board near the Kings’ 24th pick.

Let’s dive in.

Maxwell Lewis | SF | Pepperdine

Age: 20

Height: 6’7

Weight: 195

2022-23 stats: 17.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 46% FG, 34% 3PT, 78% FT

Accolades: 2022-23 All-West Coast Conference Second Team

ESPN Mock Draft: 30th

In a class loaded with wing talent, Lewis is a prospect beginning to climb the mock drafts as we move within two weeks of June 22nd’s NBA Draft.

Lewis has one of the bigger ranges of any player in the class, as he’s receiving interest from teams already in the late lottery extending throughout the first round. There aren’t many prospects with more natural talent in this stage than Lewis, who stands 6-7½ in shoes with a 7-foot wingspan and diverse shot-making and shot-creation prowess.

ESPN’s NBA Draft Insider Jonathan Givoney on Maxwell Lewis – June 2023

Lewis was the leading scorer for Pepperdine and sixth in the West Coast Conference in points per game during a sophomore season that concluded with the forward receiving All-WCC honors.

How would Lewis fit with the Kings?

While Lewis’ shooting numbers (34% from deep) don’t jump off the page, the forward’s ability to knock down catch-and-shoot looks could make an ideal pairing with the Sacramento Kings offense.

Lewis shot 28-of-65 (43%) on catch-and-shoot looks this season while excelling in knocking down corner triples.

At 6’7 with a seven-foot wingspan, Lewis possesses the ability to become a legitimate scoring threat–one that opposing defenses will have a tough time slowing down, especially if the prospect begins his career coming off the bench against other team’s backup forwards.

Sacramento needs defense, and Lewis can bring plenty of defensive upside with him thanks to his impressive athleticism and long frame.

Looking forward to Pepperdine vs. Gonzaga on Saturday. Big test for Maxwell Lewis, Pepperdine's first round wing prospect vs. Julian Strawther and the Zags. Averaging 19.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.7 APG with an elite C-RAM of 11.4, per @CerebroSports. Lewis plays like a raw Devin Vassell. pic.twitter.com/XOlUwudmiL

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) December 31, 2022

Lewis would be an enticing prospect for Sacramento at 24th, but it looks like the Pepperdine product is working his way into a top-20 pick as we close in on draft night.

The Dallas Mavericks (10th), Oklahoma City Thunder (12th), Toronto Raptors (13th), New Orleans Pelicans (14th), Atlanta Hawks (15th), Los Angeles Lakers (17th pick), and Houston Rockets (20th) having brought in the 20-year-old for workouts.

If Lewis is available at 24th, the Kings could have a chance at drafting one of the higher upside wings in the first round–one that many believe is a lottery-pick type of talent.

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