2023 wing KJ Lewis officially signs with Arizona

The Arizona Wildcats officially signed KJ Lewis on Thursday, inking the 2023 wing on the second day of the fall signing period.

Lewis committed to Arizona in March. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, he is considered a top-50 player in his class. Lewis plays for Duncanville High School in southwestern Dallas.

Lewis spent part of his childhood years in Tucson and attended elementary school in Vail. He later moved to El Paso, where he starred for Chapin High School before transferring to Duncanville for his senior season.

Lewis had offers from several high-major programs including UCLA, Houston, Texas Tech and Baylor.

Lewis is Arizona’s lone signee for the 2023 class so far.

Here is what Lewis’ 247Sports counting report says:

Lewis is powerful with a physical style. He’s at his best in the open floor, has a chance to be an impact defender, and is still refining his offensive game in the half-court. A straight-line driver, Lewis is more effective when he has space to accelerate into his drive and get downhill, rather than with his first-step. He absorbs, and often times initiates, contact going through the lane, but can run people over at times with questionable spatial awareness. He’ll also overpower smaller guards by bringing them into the post and playing bully ball. His overall guard skills remain a work in progress. His ability to get downhill could ultimately be an asset as a pick-and-roll threat on the second side of the floor, but ball security is currently an issue with a combined 40 turnovers vs. 33 assists throughout the grassroots season (including 29 turnovers vs. 15 assists in July). He can be an emphatic above-the-rim finisher in transition, but is also an underrated lay-up maker with an assortment of crafty finishes at his disposal. He shot 35% from behind the three-point line this year, but was very selective with his attempts, with a release that was often short-armed with a slight left-to-right draw on his ball. However, he’s a very good free-throw shooter (79%) with much cleaner mechanics at the stripe that could eventually stretch to the arc. He guards well on the defensive end, is strong enough to have some versatility switching onto bigger players, and can be a playmaker on that end with a fairly high steal rate. He’s also a solid perimeter rebounder. Overall, Lewis is a physically mature wing who is at his best as a defender and transition athlete, but has untapped potential if he can continue to develop his overall guard skills.