Film Room: Acaden Lewis

This one wasn’t exactly a very well kept secret. Acaden Lewis has been pretty public about his love for Kentucky for awhile now. Then, since officially visiting during Big Blue Madness, his commitment has seemed imminent. However, that doesn’t detract from the excitement of the news. Coach Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have landed their point guard of the future. Lewis is ranked #30 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking and as the fifth best point guard in the Class of 2025. He joins five-star Jasper Johnson and four-star Malachi Moreno in the recruiting class.

There are potential implications regarding five-star forward Caleb Wilson’s recruitment here as well as the two have publicly talked about playing together. Kentucky has been at the center of a lot of those discussions as well. However, this is Acaden Lewis’ day and we will focus on what Kentucky is getting in the prized point guard. Lewis, who ultimately chose the ‘Cats over Duke and UConn, is as dynamic of a playmaker as you will find in the Class of 2025. He is incredibly quick changing directions, has a lethal first step, and finishes against size at a high percentage. Whatever Lewis may lack in terms of raw height, he makes up for in explosiveness and strength. He absorbs contact very well around the basket.

Coach Pope has continued to knock down walls on the recruiting trail. Starting the class with players as good as Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson should have silenced most critics. However, with both being from the state of Kentucky, it gave some people a reason to still question his recruiting chops. Surely those lingering questions have been answered now that Kentucky came out on top against schools like Duke and UConn. Lewis is an outstanding playmaker with the tools to translate right away. Let’s step inside the KSR Film Room and take a closer look at the newest Kentucky Wildcat, Acaden Lewis.

Explosive Driving Ability

There are two distinct sides to “playmaking.” Some players can get their own shot a very high level. Whether it be from the perimeter or when attacking the basket, being able to get your own shot is an important part of making plays. Then, you have the ability to makes plays for others. By attracting help defense, pulling an extra defender with you in ballscreen situations, or simply by having elite court vision you can set others up for scoring opportunities. A lot of high-level college players can do one or the other. However, only a select handful have both playmaking traits. Acaden Lewis is in that select group. His explosiveness off of the dribble and comfortability finishing against size allows him to create his own interior looks consistently.

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This clip from the EYBL Peach Jam showcases Acaden Lewis’ straight line quickness and explosive first step. His first step puts him directly beyond the shoulders of his primary defender. Lewis is able to drive nearly in a straight line to the paint and then turn the corner enough to finish. As the bigger secondary defender steps over to block the shot, Lewis is able to hang in the air and finish creatively. He is really good at varying his release in order to not get his shot blocked inside.

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We will see plenty of Lewis’ acrobatic finishing ability. However, his most translatable finishes come off of two feet. The primary defender does a good job here of staying between Lewis and the basket, but his strength when playing off of two feet was too much. Coming to a jump stop created the separation needed to get the short pull-up off. It is really hard to handle Lewis off of the dribble in a one-on-one setting.

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Lewis is certainly most comfortable going to his left, but he has shown similar explosiveness when getting downhill to his right hand. In this clip you see him use the left to right crossover to reject the ballscreen and explode to finish the And-1. Having the ability to so effectively reject that ballscreen will make it really hard for opposing defenses to contain him on the perimeter. He can beat seemingly any coverage you throw at him.

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The right to left crossover is Acaden Lewis’ signature move. He does a great job of setting it up and is so quick out of it. There are a lot of prospects who are very quick, but what separates the best are those who can be quick while still playing with pace and changing speeds. That is an area where Lewis excels. It isn’t all one speed. You see another very creative finish here as well. He is so good at scoring on his way back down to the ground in order to avoid getting his shot blocked.

Shot-Making

Acaden Lewis shot 43-132 (32.6%) from three-point range in 22 EYBL games this summer. That obviously isn’t great, but at that volume it is certainly passable. Making at least one three per game at 33% or better is always an important threshold and he is essentially right there with even better volume. Being such a dynamic separator allows him to get clean looks off of the dribble consistently. He will make defenses pay for going under ballscreens and make enough open attempts to keep the defense honest. Let’s take a look at some of his clips from the EYBL circuit with Team Durant.

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The three-point percentages aren’t outstanding with Acaden Lewis, but he certainly has shown the ability to be a shot-maker. His quick-twitch movements and ability to create space on the perimeter allows him to get clean looks consistently. Lewis likely won’t be counted on to be a high volume three-point shooter from day one, but he projects as a guy who will make them at the college level.

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If you are lazy in ballscreen or handoff situations Acaden Lewis will make you pay. Not only can he get downhill going either direction, but if you give him space by going under he can make the pull-up three behind the ballscreen/handoff as well. These are the ones that Kentucky will want him to make as a freshman.

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Here is that patented right to left crossover that Acaden Lewis loves so much. It is going to be really hard for defenses to stay between him and the basket in ballscreen situations. That explosive change of direction will translate to high-major basketball right away.

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Acaden Lewis can beat any ballscreen defense. The opponent tries to “ICE” this ballscreen, but Lewis easily gets downhill and snakes back in front of his defender. Then, after the defense is forced to switch, he stepped back and nailed the open three-point attempt. You can expect to see Lewis have a lot of success in ballscreen situations early in his career at Kentucky.

Playmaking for Others

As we mentioned earlier, there are two types of playmaking. We started by showcasing Acaden Lewis’ ability to get his own shot off of the bounce. Now, we will turn our focus towards what he can do as a passer. The four-star point guard consistently attracts the attention of multiple defenders because of his threat as a driver, shooter, and all-around creator. He can consistently get a piece of the paint and draw help which creates open passing lanes. Lewis is also an impressive passer with both hands which is important when transitioning to the next level. Sometimes scoring can take a bit to translate for freshman point guards, but Lewis’ passing and playmaking should be ready from day one.

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We’ve shown how Acaden Lewis can beat any ballscreen defense as a scorer. Now you will see what the attention he attracts opens up for him as a playmaker. Lewis pulls both his primary and secondary defender with him on the wing leaving the pick-and-pop wide open for a three. These shots will be created consistently as it takes at least two defenders to corral him off of the dribble.

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Being able to pass at a high level with both hands is an underrated trait. In this clip you see Lewis whip a crosscourt pass directly on target with his right hand. That will allow him to cleanly make plays for others at the next level.

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This clip showcases Lewis’ pace and feel playing off of a staggered ballscreen. He changes speeds well, holds the secondary defender, and then reads the tag to find his roll man open for an easy dunk. Lewis is very advanced in ballscreen situations and looks the part of a SEC-caliber playmaker already as a high school senior.

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We’ve seen Acaden Lewis beat all kinds of ballscreens coverages thought this breakdown. Hard hedge, drop coverage, ICE, switching, etc. Defenses have tried it all without much success. In this clip you see the defense coming out and aggressively trap Lewis out near mid-court. However, like the rest of the coverages, it does not work. We once again see him whip a crosscourt pass with his right hand to an open shooter. That passing ability makes him all the more dangerous playing off of the ballscreen.

Evaluation

Acaden Lewis is a pure playmaker. His quick-twitch bursts, change of pace quickness, and downhill explosive all contribute to him being a truly dynamic creator. He can finish at the rim against size with a variety of unique layups at difficult angles. On the perimeter he has proven to be a good enough shooter to keep the defense honest. Even from day one at the college level he is going to attract a lot of attention in ballscreen situations. For as deep and uniquely talented as this Class of 2025 is, it isn’t going to produce a lot of great point guards. Kentucky just locked up one of the best on Saturday with Lewis. You just can’t teach some of his playmaking ability.