New York Post - USA (2020-11-15)

New York Post, Sunday, November 15, 2020

nypost.com

By Marc BerMan

Alabama point guard Kira Lewis

Jr. served as a punt returner early

in his high school career. He nearly

beat his mother, Natasha, in a foot

race at age 5. And his mother was a

standout sprinter in high school.

Yes, Lewis lives by the motto

speed kills, according to his father,

Kira Lewis Sr. Naturally, speed is

only one ingredient in being stand-

out NBA point guard/floor gen-

eral. But you can’t teach speed.

“My dad’s side of the family was

very athletic, but I have to say my

speed came from my mom’s side,’’

Lewis said on a Zoom call Friday.

“She ran track. All her family mem-

bers ran some sporting event.

They love to run.”

The Knicks were so smitten with

Lewis’ speed they jetted to Miami

last month to use one of their

workout slots, though No. 8 is con-

sidered a reach for the fast-rising

Alabama sophomore.

Lewis, considered the fastest

player in the draft, said he tried to

show the Knicks not just the light-

ning.

“Getting to the rim, finishing

over length and showing my shot

as well,’’ Lewis said.

“I try to bring every aspect I can

whether it’s ball handing, passing,

shooting, defense, rebounding,.

Anything I can do to help the team.

I’m trying to get better [in] being

more physical with my size and

handling bigger defenders, cutting

to the basket and making great

reads.”

Lewis averaged 18.5 points, 5.2 as-

sists and 4.8 rebounds on 36-per-

cent shooting from 3, but he is

hardly the finished product. He’s

still just 19 despite playing two

years of college.

His coach at Alabama, Nate Oats,

recently told The Post he expertly

ran his pro-style, fast-paced offense

but admitted defense will be an is-

sue at the outset despite improve-

ment. Knicks coach Tom Thibo-

deau is all about defense.

“He realized his speed can be a

positive on defense, too,’’ Oats said.

“He got better, but still not where

he needs to be.”

Scouts are concerned most about

strength. Lewis, holed up in a

downtown Miami high-rise apart-

ment during most of the pandemic,

was put on an eating-as-much-as-

you-can diet. The 6-foot-3 point

guard weighed in the low 160s late

in the Alabama season and now is

close to 180 after ingesting six

small meals a day (mainly shakes,

fruits and vegetables) as part of a

new training regimen.

He’s been compared to former

Alabama point guard Collin Sex-

ton, the No. 8 pick in the 2018 draft

who is having only modest success

with the Cavaliers. Sexton was

taken one pick ahead of the Knicks,

who took Kevin Knox at 9.

“I think he’s quicker than Collin,’’

one Western Conference scout

said. “He has elite sped and quick-

ness. I believe he can shoot and

make plays. But he needs to get

stronger. He will be able to get on

the court this next season for sure.”

The Knicks are forever in search

for an elite point guard. Is Lewis is

the guy, even if they trade up for

him? He’s from the small town of

Hazel Green, Ala. — a different

planet from Gotham.

His agent, Aaron Turner, who

also reps Knox, said he thinks Le-

wis can go as high as No. 6. Teams

ahead of him, the Bulls (No. 4), Or-

lando (No. 6) and Pistons (No. 7)

worked him out, too.

“It would be great to play for one

of the more historic organiza-

tions,’’ Lewis said of the Knicks.

“It’s a big city, but I know what

I’m coming to do — work as

hard as I can, do my job, do

something I love to do,

which is compete to win, get

better and be the best per-

son and teammate I can be

and take whatever organiza-

tion I go to the next level.”

Thibodeau, Knicks general

manager Scott Perry and

senior VP William Wesley

took Lewis out to dinner in

Miami. Lewis seemed just

as thrilled meeting “World

Wide Wes,” the ultimate

NBA insider, as Thibo-

deau.

“When I met Coach

Wes, it was a great

honor,’’ Lewis said. “I’ve

heard about him so

many times. Just to be

face to face with him.

He’s a really good guy. He

likes to joke and have

fun, but he told me about

getting my degree and

I’m working on it now.

He said take advantage

of the opportunity and

really get ready for

what’s coming at you

because it’s a differ-

ent world.”

marc.berman

@nypost.com

Kentucky guard touts former coach Payne

By Marc BerMan

Kentucky combo guard

Tyrese Maxey isn’t sure

Kenny Payne will ever

coach him again. But

Maxey says he gained

from his Payne experi-

ence last season in Lex-

ington.

Payne was plucked from

Kentucky to join Tom

Thibodeau’s staff over the

summer. Maxey is a trade-

back candidate for the

Knicks as indications are

they probably won’t draft

him if they stick at No. 8.

“I was ecstatic when I

found out coach Kenny

Payne was going to make

that jump,’’ Maxey said.

“He deserves it. He cre-

ated a connection with all

the guys who came

through Kentucky when

he was there. He’s been

very solid. He tells every-

one the truth and doesn’t

sugarcoat anything. He’s

always going to work hard

and make you realize your

goals. He’s going to push

you and get the best out of

yourself. I was very proud

of him.’’

Several projections have

Maxey winding up in New

Orleans with Zion Willi-

amson. The Pelicans, se-

lecting 13th, were the only

team to fly out to Los An-

geles to work out Maxey.

Most teams saw tape of

Maxey’s Pro Day that was

televised by ESPN2 and

caused a stir around the

league.

Maxey and potential No.

1 pick Anthony Edwards,

both clients of superagent

Rich Paul, performed

1-on-0 drills but NBA exec-

utives were not allowed

into the Thousand Oaks,

Calif., gym.

Maxey called the night

“amazing.’’

“I was able to show how

consistent my shooting

is,” Maxey said. “I shoot

way better than my num-

bers [29.2 percent from

3].’’

RUNS IN THE FAMILY: Alabama

guard Kira Lewis Jr. says his dad’s side

of the family is “very athletic,” but credits

his mom for his speed. Getty Images