Alabama Basketball: Kira Lewis, John Petty most underrated duo in 2019-20
By Cody Larson
Their greatness together
Let’s quickly review. Lewis is a fantastic driver and scorer inside who is great at attacking kick-out opportunities. To elaborate, Lewis has taken 101 shots at the rim this year (good for half of all his shot attempts) and makes 59.41 percent of those located shots (per the Stepien’s shot charts).
When you have a player like Lewis, you want to have as many shooters around him to open up his driving game. Alabama has exactly that in Petty, who’s shooting a great 47.7 percent from deep this year. And to elaborate on that, 69.9 percent of those threes have been assisted on.
Petty’s shot is therefor more effective when in catch-and-shoot situations. Having a driving presence like Lewis who is great at finding open shooters opens up Petty’s jumper. And there lies what makes this Alabama duo so terrific.
Lewis’s game maximizes Petty’s game – and likewise – Petty’s game maximizes Lewis’s game. Both players stand out individually, but stand out even more when they are side-by-side. That’s what makes a great combo, and that’s why the guard duo deserves so much more praise.
Add in the fact that both players bring a contagious amount of energy and focus on the defensive end, and the above sentence only becomes more clear.
Together the two combine for about 3 steals per game and 1 block per game. They both are willing help defenders, and they both thrive at creating fast break opportunities off of turnovers.
Next. Two stout defenses battle as Baylor is at Florida. dark
This year Alabama Basketball will go as far as Lewis and Petty are willing to take them. Despite the limited attention they get nationally, that should make Crimson Tide fans feel very comfortable. Like Petty said in the before-mentioned tweet following the win vs. Auburn: “they sleep I see,” he wrote. Well, it’s time to wake up.