Arizona freshman KJ Lewis to withdraw from NBA draft, return to school
Arizona guard KJ Lewis announced Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he will withdraw from the 2024 NBA draft and return for his sophomore season.
Lewis was a Pac-12 All-Freshman Honorable Mention after averaging 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals on 34.1% shooting from 3-point range. He scored in double figures seven times, including a season-high 18 points, five rebounds and four assists on March 7.
The 6-foot-4 standout registered 38 steals in 36 games, tied for the ninth-most by a freshman in program history. He also recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.3, which ranked ninth among all freshmen in the country who had at least 69 assists.
IM BACK 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/820YXIxw6F
— kj lewis (@thekjlewis) May 17, 2024
Lewis, who declared for the draft on April 23, was among 201 players who filed as an early-entrant candidate. He will now return to the Wildcats after testing the process and receiving feedback on his game from team executives and scouts.
His return projects to be a big addition to the team, which signed four-star prospects Carter Bryant, Jamari Phillips and Emmanuel Stephen. The team is also adding Anthony Dell’Orso (Campbell), Tobe Awaka (Tennesee) and Trey Townsend (Oakland) via the transfer portal.
The Wildcats have made three straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including two trips to the Sweet 16 (2022, 2024). They finished 27-9 last season.
