Arizona guard KJ Lewis, a projected top-20 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, announced Friday that he will return to the Wildcats for his second season.
Lewis entered the NBA draft after the season but declined an invitation to this month's G League Elite Camp, an early sign that he planned to return to college.
Lewis, a 6-foot-4 guard, is ranked No. 19 in ESPN's 2025 NBA draft rankings. He came off the bench last season for Arizona, but showed flashes of the talent that so intrigues NBA evaluators. He had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the win over UCLA; 15 points and 6 rebounds in the Pac-12 tournament against USC; and he had three double-digit scoring games in a five-game stretch in late January and early February.
Lewis averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds on the season.
With Pelle Larsson leaving for the NBA and Kylan Boswell transferring to Illinois, Lewis is expected to move into the starting lineup for the 2024-25 season. The players alongside Lewis on the backcourt will be determined by whether star guard Caleb Love chooses to remain in the NBA draft or return to Tucson for his final season. An All-American last season, Love's decision could go either way.
Coach Tommy Lloyd has prepared for a possible departure with the additions of Campbell transfer Anthony Dell'Orso and ESPN 100 recruits Joson Sanon and Jamari Phillips, but Love's return would make Arizona a sure thing. among the top 10 of preseason.
The Wildcats will play in Battle 4 Atlantis alongside fellow preseason Top 20 seed Gonzaga and Indiana, and will also host preseason Top 10 seed Duke in November.
