Even though the New Orleans Pelicans had plans of trading up, they stayed put and chose 6’3 Alabama point guard Kira Lewis Jr as their 13th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He was their newly hired coach, Stan Van Gundy’s first draft pick, being the first pick of Gundy’s tenure.

Averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game last season as a sophomore, Kira is undoubtedly one of the fastest players in the game. This fits best into the Pelicans’ style of play. The highlight of his run has been his career-high 37-point outbreak against Georgia.

Just like Jrue Holiday, Kira is a combo guard. However, rumors of Jrue being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks are making rounds. As of now, Lonzo Ball is the Pelicans’ starting point guard. This means that Lewis can join Ball on that end of the court or be his back up from the bench.

For now, Lewis is most excited about playing with Pelicans’ superstar Zion Williamson.

Kira Lewis Jr. thrilled to play alongside Williamson

Lewis joined Yahoo Sports’ Draft Analyst Krysten Peek to discuss his draft night experience and his views on his new team. Krysten asked Lewis, “How do you feel about going to the Pelicans and joining a player like Zion Williamson?”

“Oh, it feels great,” stated Kira. “Joining a great player like him, watching him since I was younger. How he blew up and dunks, explosion, getting to the rim, he does it all. So, I am very excited to get down there and get to meet him and get to watch him play in person, and be his teammate.”

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Krysten also inquired about the kind of feedback he had received from the Pelicans during his pre-draft workouts. Lewis stated, “They liked my speed, just playing the open floor, be able to create for my teammates as well as myself, and get easy opportunities. They really loved my speed. I feel like it fits well with them with the way they want to play with the athletes they have.”

In addition to Ball, the rookie will be joining a roster loaded with more star guards like Eric Bledsoe and George Hill. It will be fascinating to see how Lewis fits into the Pelicans’ plan of action.