Arizona’s Lewis returning after mulling NBA draft

• Jeff Borzello, ESPN

  • Personnel WriterMay 17, 2024, 04:03 PM ET Close Basketball recruiting insider.
  • Signed up with ESPN in 2014.
  • Graduate of University of Delaware.Arizona guard KJ Lewis, a

forecasted top-20 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, revealed Friday he is going back to the Wildcats for his sophomore season.Lewis went into the NBA draft after the season but refused an invite to this month’s G League Elite Camp, an early sign he prepared to come back to college.A 6-foot-4 guard, Lewis is ranked No. 19 in ESPN’s 2025 NBA draft rankings. He came off the bench last season for Arizona however showed flashes of the talent that has NBA critics so intrigued. He had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a win over UCLA; 15 points and 6 boards in the Pac-12 competition against USC; and had three double-figure scoring games over a five-game stretch in late January and early February.Lewis balanced 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds on the season.Editor’s Picks With Pelle Larsson leaving for the NBA and Kylan Boswell moving to Illinois, Lewis is expected to move into the beginning lineup for the 2024-25 season. Which players are together with Lewis on the perimeter will be figured out by whether star guard Caleb Love chooses to remain in the NBA draft or return to Tucson for his last season. An All-American last season, Love’s choice could go either way.Coach Tommy Lloyd has prepared for a potential 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 guaranteed preseason top-10 team.The Wildcats are set to play in the Battle 4 Atlantis along with fellow preseason top-20 groups Gonzaga and Indiana, and will likewise host preseason top-10 team Duke in November.